Kirkcudbrightshire
Kirkcudbrightshire | |||
Location Map ( geo) | |||
| |||
Primary Destinations | |||
Dumfries | |||
Other Important Destinations | |||
Castle Douglas • Kirkcudbright • New Galloway • Newton Stewart | |||
Current Highway Authorities | |||
Dumfries & Galloway | |||
Borders | |||
Ayrshire • Dumfriesshire • Wigtownshire | |||
Transport Scotland Roads | |||
A75 • A76 | |||
Kirkcudbrightshire (pron. Kirkcoobrie-shire, approx.) is a traditional county in the south of Scotland. In the past it has also been known as the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright, or even just Stewartry. Along with Wigtownshire to the west, it forms the Galloway part of Dumfries & Galloway.
Geography & Economy
The county of Kirkcudbrightshire is a county of two parts. The north east is largely upland moors and forest with few settlements other than St Johns Town of Dalry and New Galloway, which lie along the valley of the River Dee. The south eastern part is lower lying, along the coast, and more densely populated, although still almost completely rural in character. Farming and fishing remain important in the local economy, although green energy, particularly wind farms, has brought a lot of business to the county in recent years.
The upland part of the county, much of it lying in the Forest of Galloway, has been successfully marketed as an adventure activity destination, with mountain bike trails, watersports and walking drawing a lot of people for weekends or longer stays. Tourism plays a lower key role in the south of the county, depsite the coastline. At the eastern end of the county, the town of Dumfries - the largest in the area - straddles the county boundary and provides a significant draw for many residents, bringing a large area of the county into the commuter belt for the town.
Roads
The A75 is the main route through the county, crossing from east to west to connect the Irish Ferries with the motorway near Carlisle. The A712 appears to take a shorter route across the county, but the terrain it passes through means that it is a much slower route, with improvements likely to be more expensive. There is a good network of B and unclassified roads south of the A75, connecting to the coastal A roads, but to the north there are large areas without roads, particularly to the west of the Dee Valley. The general route of the A75 was first laid out as a military road by Major Caulfeild, better known for his military roads in the Highlands.
Most non-trunk roads within the traditional county are maintained by Dumfries & Galloway. The only trunk roads in the county are the A75 and a short piece of the A76, which are maintained by Transport Scotland. Despite a number of small improvements being carried out every few years, the long term aspiration to dual the A75 remains long term.
Route | From | To | Length |
|
---|---|---|---|---|
A75 | Gretna | Stranraer | 95.8 miles | View |
A76 | Kilmarnock | Maxwelltown | 56.2 miles | View |
A702 | Edinburgh | St John's Town of Dalry | 83 miles | View |
A710 | Dumfries | Dalbeattie | 24.7 miles | View |
A711 | Dumfries | Barncrosh Junction | 36.3 miles | View |
A712 | Crocketford | Newton Stewart | 32.3 miles | View |
A713 | Ayr | Castle Douglas | 49.2 miles | View |
A714 | Girvan | Braehead | 38.0 miles | View |
A745 | Dalbeattie | Castle Douglas | 6.1 miles | View |
A755 | Kirkcudbright | Gatehouse of Fleet bypass | 6.2 miles | View |
A756 | Dumfries (E) | Troqueer | 1.3 miles | View |
A762 | St John's Town of Dalry | Tongland Bridge | 20.5 miles | View |
A769 | Bogue | Balmaclellan | 1.7 miles | View |
A780 | Summerhill | Solway Gate | 3.9 miles | View |
B727 | Cullinaw | Gatehouse of Fleet | 23.2 miles | View |
B727 | Dalbeattie | Castle Douglas | 5.6 miles | View |
B728 | Kirkcudbright | Minto Cottage | 4.6 miles | View |
B729 | Holywood | Carsphairn | 28.8 miles | View |
B730 | Thornhill | St John's Town of Dalry | 21.1 miles | View |
B736 | Kelton Mains | Douganhill | 6.3 miles | View |
B793 | Dalbeattie | Caulkerbush | 7.8 miles | View |
B794 | Dalbeattie | Corsock | 11.5 miles | View |
B795 | Laurieston | Gerranton | 6.6 miles | View |
B795 | Tongland Bridge | Allangibbon Bridge | 20.5 miles | View |
B796 | Cardoness Castle | New Rusko | 7.0 miles | View |
B7000 | St John's Town of Dalry | High Bridge of Ken | 6.0 miles | View |
B7000 (Balmaclennan - Bogue) | Balmaclellan | St John's Town of Dalry | 1.7 miles | View |
B7075 | Balmaclellan | St John's Town of Dalry | 1.7 miles | View |
B7079 | Calgow | Newton Stewart | 1.9 miles | View |
T28 | Gretna | Stirling | View |
Key
Junctions
Bridges, Tunnels, and other Crossings