Hi Hugo; you can't get to Moffat from Ardrossan! Not quite true but because of where Moffat is in relation to Ardrossan, if you don't use the main route (I suspect you're being routed via the M74 - which actually goes through some reasonable scenery), you will have to drive south of Moffat and do a "dog leg" back north to get there (not that many miles in fact).

I suggest Ardrossan to Kilmarnock on A78 then A71. Then take the A76 through some pleasant countryside (it's not that dramatic in this area) to Dumfries; then A701 north east to Moffat.

An alternative is to drive south from Ardrossan to Ayr A78/A77 (30-40 mins) and visit (Robert) Burns cottage and museum. Then A713 very quiet road south east and join A712/A75 to Dumfries. This would be my choice.

Hi,

I replied to another of your questions ('help with driving route'?) and recommended seeking out the villages of Wanlockhead and Leadhills. High and remote, yet only 30 minutes from a motorway.

Head south from Ardrossan, skirting Irvine and Kilmarnock and Prestwick. The road you want is the B797, a sharp left turn off the A76 Ayr to Dumfries trunk road, a few miles south of Sanquar. You can stay on the country B roads most of the way to Moffat.

Wanlockhead has a mining museum and a narrow guage railway, and some unusual scenery in the Lowther Hills.

This route is fairly direct, if a bit twisty in places. Expect some sheep on the road.

Peter

Yep - watch out for those sheep as they are really baaaaaad drivers.... ;-) Sorry couldn't resist...LOL

Soooooo Baaaaaaad fofoma; they might even all be female !!!!! Toooooooo baaaaaaad, all the nice males, end up on the dinner table !!!!! LOL

Thanks very much.... the route thru Wanlockhead and the Lowther Hills sounds great! And if we drop down near Ayr, might have time to see Culzean Castle and Gardens and then resume route. Thanks very much!

Good idea, and very simple to find. Leave Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenson (3 adjoining towns) and Take the A78, Irvine bypass south, then the A77, Ayr bypass. Dual-carriageway trunk roads for about 20 miles, then follow the signs for Maidens and Culzean. Well worth a visit.

((Are you a golfer? - pop in to Turnberry a few miles away for some great views of the lighthouse and Ailsa Craig (and the golf course..). And you might be interested in the Electric Brae - an unusual phenomenon, nearby. Don't bother if you are driving an automatic car.... it (the Brae) won't work.)

Anyway, when done there, head east through some pretty and some not-so-pretty villages (south Ayshire once had a big coal mining industry), through Maybole, Dalmellington and New Cumnock, to Sanquar, and the Lowther Hills. Enjoy.

Sounds like Peter has you "sorted". If pos, Culzean really is not to be missed, it is a beautiful "castle/house" in beautiful grounds and with very strong connections to the US (Eisenhower).

If you are heading to Culzean, you can pass Burn's cottage just beyond Ayr. It is worth a 5 minute look from outside, then head to Culzean.

Excellent Advice! Thank you very much for the tips. Sounds perfect!