Photographs, route description and map of the walk from Sorn via Catrine along the Ayr River Way to Mauchline in Ayrshire in SW Scotland

A76 Road Bridge

over the River Ayr

Ballochmyle Viaduct

over River Ayr near Mauchline

The Viaduct is the highest extant railway viaduct
in Britain at 169ft ( 52m )

At the time of its construction in 1848

it was the largest masonry arch in the world.

The viaduct is a Category A listed building

and a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark

Wikipedia - Ballochmyle Viaduct

Countryside

between Haugh Farm and Mauchline

Wikipedia - Haugh

Black Bull Hotel

in Mauchline

Location Map of Sorn, Catrine and Mauchline

RIVER AYR WAY - SORN TO MAUCHLINE - ROUTE DESCRIPTION:

Location: Ayrshire
Map: 06 Landranger 70
Distance: 6 miles ( 10km )
Time: 3-4 hours
Terrain: riverside path

The River Ayr Way follows the river for 42 miles from its source above Glenbuck to the sea, passing through a number of attractive villas. This walk begins at Sorn, a quiet place and the birthplace of noted Covenanter Alexander Peden.
Start by crossing a lovely old bridge and heading away from the river. The route negotiates a high shoulder, with good views back to Sorn Castle, then drops down to the riverside, which you follow to Catrine, passing mature beeches and binches and rhododendron.
Entering Catrine you pass the two Voes, reservoirs set up when the entrepreneur and social reformer David Dale, better known for his associations with New Lanark, set up a cotton mill with Claud Alexander in 1787. At its peak the business employed 900 people and the water power was provided by five reservoirs plus mill lades and a tunnel. It also featured the largest and most powerful water driven wheel in Scotland. In 1993 the system was designated as a scheduled Ancient Monument.
Leaving Catrine, the river passes below towering sandstone cliffs. The walk passes under the A76 — be careful here as the turnoff isn't marked and is easily missed.
The next piece of drama is the soaring Ballochmyle Viaduct carrying the railway across the gorge. The main arch spans over 55 metres and is 51m high; when ﬁnished in 1848 it was the world's largest masonry span arch.
Near the viaduct are cup-and-ri ng markings in the rock thought to be more than 2,500 years old.
The walk continues through woodlan then reaches the farm at Haugh, where Cistercian monks had a corn mill in the 16th century, before going up the minor road to Mauchline. This is a lively place with a long history. At various times it has been noted for clock making, the decorated wooden items known as "Mauchline Ware" ( very collectable today ) and for over 150 years has been a unique centre for the production of curling stones, which today use stone quarried on Ailsa Craig.
Mauchline has extensive Covenanting links but is perhaps most famous for its associations with Robert Burns. He came to live and work at Mossgiel Farm in 1784 and while here wrote some of his best-known works, including Holy Willie's Prayer. The Burns House Museum rewards a visit as does the National Memorial Tower, and it is worth spending a little time in Mauchline before catching the bus, back to Sorn - or on a Sunday when that one doesn't run, possibly back to Catrine to rewalk the ﬁrst scction of the route.

Route:

Cross old bridge over river and turn R on road.
Walk uphlll for 400m and take path on R climbing first then descending to riverside.
Follow path to Catrine.
Tum R over bridge, cross second| bridge and continue to R of the Voes.
At start of second Voe turn L to return to riverside and follow Laigh Road and Ayr Street to T-junction.
Turn R then L at Mill Square, L on Bridge Street, river, turn R on lane.
At L bend go ahead on riverside path.
Just before A76 go R at fork, down steps.
Cross river by bridge and follow road for 500m.
Turn on path into woods and follow generally high above river then descending to walk between fences to Haugh Farm.
Turn R on road and follow road for 2km into Mauchline.

THE RIVER AYR WAY:

From its source to the sea, the River Ayr Way meanders through history and heritage, lovely landscapes and vibrant communities.
This 66-kilometre ( 44-mile ) path begins at Glenbuck Loch and ends where the town of Ayr meets the Atlantic Ocean, taking in
some of Ayrshire’s most interesting places along the way.
The idea for the route — the ﬁrst of its kind in Scotland - arose from the £2.5m Coalﬁeld Access Project in 2006 which had Ayrshire’s
mining past and the area’s regeneration of former coalﬁelds at its heart.
More than 140,000 people from all over the globe use the River Ayr Way each year, taking advantage of the chance to wander off the
beaten track and explore the great outdoors.
Most people know Ayrshire for its craggy coastlines, its castles and its connections to Scotland’s famous poet Robert Burns.
The River Ayr Way allows visitors to expand those horizons, incorporating some of the area’s lesser-known but
equally intriguing attractions and exciting experiences. ( There are castles too, of course, and more than a smattering of Burns, who is
said to have been inspired by its scenery ).
From Glenbuck Loch — which was, in fact, created by the owners of the Catrine Mill in 1802 to store water, the river skirts Airds
Moss, once home to a noisy, busy ironworks and now a much more peaceful RSPB haven for curlews and skylarks, dragonﬂies and
more. This area is rich in Covenanters’ history too — in 1680, the battle of Airds Moss was fought between the Covenanters and the King’s men.
The river ﬂows on through the pretty village of Sorn, where there were once four water-powered mills — just some of the
many mills on the river during its industrial heyday; Sorn Castle — a 14th century keep -where it is said King James VI visited to
attend a marriage in 1598 - is now a luxury wedding venue, standing on a sandstone cliff high above the river.
Beyond Catrine, the river cuts a deep gorge through the sandstone. Here, the Ballochmyle viaduct was built in the 1840s
for the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway Company. It is the world’s longest masonry railway arch at 181 feet and
when complete in 1848, it was considered one of the greatest engineering achievements of its time. ( It also featured in the Tom
Cruise ﬁlm Mission Impossible. )
Claud Alexander made his fortune as Paymaster General of the East India Company’s troops in Bengal. He returned to
Scotland and bought Ballochmyle Estate. When Robert Burns spotted Claud's younger sister, Wilhelmina, walking by the
banks of the river Ayr, he immortalised her in the poem, ‘The Bonny Lass O’ Ballochmyle’.
Burns sent a copy to Miss Alexander, asking permission to publish it and while she did not reply, legend has it she treasured both
letter and poem all her days.
Fascinating snippets of history pop up along the whole length of The River Ayr Way.
At Haugh, a small hamlet on the north bank of the river, Andrew Kay started producing curling stones from Ailsa Craig granite in the
1860s, and the company is still in existence. Now in Mauchline it supplies stones for the Winter Olympics and players around the world.
At Ballochmyle, carved into an unusual face of hard sandstone are Cup and Ring Markings ‘dating back to between
the Neolithic, and early Bronze Age; and at Auchincruive, a cairn on the south bank commemorates both William Wallace, who
hid here aftera violent encounter with English forces in the late 12th century, and Robert Burns, who walked to Leglen Wood
in Wallace’s memory 500 years later.
The River Ayr has inspired Burns, protected Wallace and played its part in the industrial revolution - now, thanks to this impressive trail,
it is providing new experiences for those looking to reconnect with nature, explore history and have a relaxing day out.