Maucum one

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We walked this route on Friday 16 September 2022, heading from Cumnock toward Mauchline. I am not sure where the estimated time of just over 2 hours came from, but it took us about 3 hours from the entrance of Auchinleck Estate to Mauchline, where we took a bus back to Cumnock. Cumnock to the entrance to the Estate is about 90 minutes, although that part can easily be done by bus.

If walking, head out towards Auchinleck from Cumnock on B7083 to just past Auchinleck Tesco on the right , turn left onto Barony Road at the intersection with Boswell Arms ( on right) and walk along a short distance of road with no footpath to an industrial estate on the left to pick up a footpath along Barony Road. The footpath continues past an entrance to Dumfries House Estate on the left, Barony A Frame on the left and Eggar wood processing plant on the right, where the footpath ends. Continue on until Barony Road make a sharp left turn, proceed straight on to single track entrance to Auchinleck House Estate. There is an old gate house on the left ( occupied) There are signs for the Boswell cafe.

Heading from Cumnock toward Mauchline following the paved single track into Auchinleck Estate at the Barony Road, the road curves around until it enters a T junction with the Boswell Cafe. There are several ways to proceed from there. The most direct is to pass to the right toward Auchinleck House , passing in front of the House toward a small stone bridge. An alternate path would be to proceed through the Cafe yard and bear right winding below Auchinleck House , continuing on over a small bridge , bearing right through a metal gate then merge with the road that runs in front of the House, proceeding left.

Continue on a single track gravel road. At a crossroad, proceed straight on through. The road is marked 'Authorized Traffic' ( a bridle path and access road for houses along the way) Continue on the road until you come to a road entering from the left, bear slightly right and proceed down past Howford Hydraulics to a T intersection. Turn left through a metal gate warning of sheep on the road.

This is the old Howford Road and proceeds down to link up with the River Ayr Way at Howford Bridge. Proceeed left over the bridge and follow the paved road as it heads up toward the right. Further up there is a sign that indicates the River Ayr Way that branches off to the left. Keep going on until you see a small worn dirt oath on the left of Kingencleugh Road. Proceeding to the right intersects with A76 . There is some limited parking there, used by dog walkers and River Ayr Way walkers. Proceed on the dirt path util it intersects with a paved footpath into Mauchline. Access to bus stops are off a road to the right just before town that leads to Catrine.

The path is not suitable for people in wheelchairs, although much of the walk might be passable with a bicycle, primarily from Cumnock through to Kingencleugh Road outside Mauchline. There is a footpath from Kingencleugh parrallel to A76 into Mauchline but most of it is not maintained, is very narrow , with multiple tree roots, until it connects with a paved footpath just out side Mauchline. Although it is obviously well used, the unpaved part is not maintained and we were glad to have walking sticks.

I have rated this route as a 4 because there is a stretch on Barony Road that has no footpath so a walker is walking in busy traffic near a wood processing plant. There is the possibility of walking along a path that leads through Dumfries House Estate to Cumnock past the Barony A Frame and a coal mining bing but we haven't walked it recently. The last time we attempted it, there were parts that were not passable due to overgrowth and subsidence. To my knowledge there is no maintenance done on that path.

Photo 1 Bridge GSW/145 trail passes under the railway
Photo 2 Highland Cow walking along the trail
Photo 3 small brige over waterway on Auchinleck Estate
Photo 4 View from Howford Bridge over River Ayr.

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