Saturday, 29 January 2005

Coastwalk

Beaumont → Bowness on Solway

[Farmyard in Burgh by Sands]

Distance: 13.8 miles
Ascent: 160 metres
Duration: 4 hours 16 minutes

To the end of the wall
« Carlisle | Kirkbride »

It may not have been my intention, but today's walk followed the last few miles of Hadrian's Wall. Although there's nothing to see of the wall itself, signposts at almost every turn remind you of the significant role it played in this area's history.

[Grass hanging from the trees]

So yes I'm back in Cumbria. Back walking along the River Eden. At first glance this month's floods might never have happened; the wide river flows gently and calmly. Look a little closer and you begin to notice things though: occasional eroded river banks and then high above the path, grass caught in the branches of trees like lamb's fleece on barbed wire.

This riverside walk accounts for only a short part of the day though. The rest of the time involved pacing along a low-lying lane across the salt-marsh to the wall's end at Bowness.

Anyone wishing to walk this way would do well to note two things. First, don't worry about the fords marked on the map on the riverside path north of Beaumont: sturdy footbridges provide a dry passage for walkers. Second, although many walk descriptions tell of how the road to Bowness may flood, none detail the conditions. A sign at each end of the road indicates that the road is liable to flood for two hours following a nine metre high tide at Silloth. It's also worth noting that alongside this road runs an old railway embankment. If I were coming this way again I wouldn't worry too much about the tides.

Posted by pab at 18:43 | Comments will be back one day. Please email me instead!