Newton Stewart

Newton Stewart is a pleasant small town on the banks of the River Cree in Wigtownshire. The river here forms the boundary with Kirkcudbrightshire, and so the part of the town on the east bank, known as Minnigaff is in a different county! The two parts of the town are connected by the historic Bridge of Cree in the middle of the town. As the name suggests, Newton is a Newtown, albeit one dating back nearly 3 centuries. Traditional industries include cotton mills and Granite Quarries, but today Newton is a service town for the surrounding rural hinterland, with shops and services. It also lies in the Galloway Forest which is a popular destination for walkers and outdoor activities.

The main road past the town is the A75 which follows the bypass to the south. It previously passed through the town, following the B7079 in from the east, crossing Bridge of Cree, and continuing west on the now unclassified Station Road. Running at right angles, and staying on the west bank of the river, the A714 starts at Wigtown to the south, passes along the Cree Estuary and continues north through the Galloway Forest to Girvan on the Ayrshire coast. To the north of Newton, the B7027 forks left off the A714, and takes a more westerly route through the forest, before rejoining the A714 in Ayrshire.

At the eastern end of the bypass, the A712 turns north off the A75 and heads north east, also into the forest, to New Galloway. This is a slightly shorter route to Dumfries, but the terrain means that the road is much slower as it winds through the hills. Prior to the construction of the bypass, there was also a short B road on the west side of the river, following Princes Street. The B7051 was actually slightly shorter than the A75, but was clearly not favoured, and comparing the two routes today it is difficult to understand why.

Routes

Route	To	Notes
A75	Stranraer, Glenluce	For Ferries to Belfast and Larne, E18
A75	Gretna, Dumfries	E18
A712	New Galloway
A714	Girvan
A714	Wigtown
B7027	Challoch, Knowe
B7079	Minnigaff	Former A75 route
B7051		Princes Street