National This guidebook is one of a range of books, information leaflets and newsletters Trail covering a wealth of subjects that all explore and describe the Solway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The publications are available through the Solway Coast Discovery Frontiers of the Roman Empire Centre, Liddell Street, Silloth on Solway, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2005 Cumbria CA7 4DD. The Solway Coast Discovery Centre is open ISBN: 978-0-9547342-8-2 seven days per week between 10am and ) 4.30pm. Along with a shop, there is a large exhibition that describes and brings to life 10,000 years of Solway Coast history, and inmedia.com can be enjoyed for a small fee. As with all our rg e@vi public provisions, all profits are returned for i the protection and maintenance of the Solway Coast AONB. Published by The guidebook has been published by Solway Design (m.corr Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Ltd Rural Initiative Limited on behalf of the Solway e Coast AONB Partnership and has been Supported by the Solway Coast AONB developed through close collaboration with Sustainable Development Fund” the Hadrian’s Wall Path National Trail team. Michaela Corri hadrians-wall.org solwaycoastaonb.org.uk esigned by: D Solwa y FiveCoas Circulart Walks Rambles around the Roman Frontier by Brian Irving Photography by: Brian Irving (HELM Images) · Illustrations by: Walter Graham Designed by: Michaela Corrie Design · Published by: Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Ltd Contents Introduction 4 The Roman Solway 6 Hadrians Wall Path National Trail 10 Solway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty 12 Hadrians Wall World Heritage Site 14 Every Footstep Counts 16 Other Information - Access, Safety etc 18 Circular Walk One: Solway Wilderness 20 A circular walk across the mires of the Cardunock Peninsula Circular Walk Two: Discovery Centre to Grune Point 24 A circular walk from Silloth to experience the vast panoramas of the Solway Circular Walk Three: The Archbishop and the King 28 A circular walk around Drumburgh and Glasson on the shores of the Solway Firth Circular Walk Four: The Eden Estuary 32 A circular walk along the River Eden, starting in the beautiful village of Burgh by Sands Circular Walk Five: The Solway Villages 36 A circular walk through the sunken lanes of the Solway Plain, starting in Burgh by Sands Local and General Information 41, 42 Introduction This guidebook takes the walker habitats and its agricultural history. through what is probably the most Places of interest are explored along each tranquil backwater throughout the route and the maps themselves seek to length of Hadrian’s Wall. place the walker in both time and space. The five themed circular walks described The five themes are all unique to the area here all radiate from the Hadrian’s Wall and they link important events and human Path National Trail but none have a endeavours creating a unique experience common theme. Instead they are a for the walker to enjoy and absorb. celebration of the natural and cultural Since Roman times, and before, the heritage of the Solway Coast, itself designated as an Area of Outstanding Solway Firth has been a frontier and as Natural Beauty (AONB). The area is also such has a rich and diverse story to tell. I hope that you enjoy Overlaid onto this backcloth are the a World Heritage Site, a European Marine your explorations on the Site and a Special Area of Conservation. stunning range of wildlife habitats and Most importantly though the area still the life that they support. Roman Solway and that the retains its wild and unspoilt character. Solway experience will The Solway is important internationally stay with you forever! The walks take the individual through a for its bird populations and this provides varied landscape and they reveal the history a further breathtaking spectacle for the of that landscape including its wildlife, walker to enjoy. 4 Five Circular Walks around the Roman Frontier Five Circular Walks around the Roman Frontier 5 A wealth of Roman remains exist. These include the clear The Roman Solway earthwork trace of the Vallum and the network of roads that supplied the military when defending the frontier. If you have explored other parts of The layout of forts and their adjoining Hadrian’s Wall you will no doubt have a highways has left us with a clear vision of what the wall looked like where understanding of the simplicity and it still stands as a monument to Roman elegance of the Roman military tactics. endeavour. The first line of defence, west of the However, on the Solway little survives of military fort at Carlisle, is along the the wall fabric itself for a number of known line of Hadrian’s frontier. The line reasons. The mile fortlets and towers were stretches down the coast until Maryport. built of stone but their remains have been Behind this line is a secondary line of re-cycled into other buildings that still forts from Papcastle in the south to stand today. Probably due to a lack of Old Carlisle further north. quarry stone along the Solway, the wall was built of turfs, topped with a wooden By looking at modern maps it is relatively palisade fence, in archaeological terms this simple to pick out the lines of the type of structure has little chance of adjoining roads under the standard survival. However it can be seen in places principle that Roman roads were straight. as a linear earth feature. We can then extrapolate a further line The Roman occupation of the Solway Coast of communication as a third line of was purely a military operation to defend and supply and communication towards control the northernmost flank of the empire. Penrith in the south. When any army is deployed long term, on These supply lines were both for supplying frontier defence especially, the logistics of the garrisons with food but were also used supplying the troops must be considered, to bring pay to the troops and also as fast as does the re-enforcement of the frontier. routes for defensive purposes. 6 Five Circular Walks around the Roman Frontier Five Circular Walks around the Roman Frontier 7 The Roman Solway The Solway Coast, once it was colonised by the Roman army increased the local population by around 1000%. This meant that productivity had to rise to meet the demand for food. For example a garrison of 500 soldiers at Bowness on Solway would require 163,000 Kg of grain per year. On the back of this food supply need, new routes had to be initiated linking frontier forts with secondary garrison forts throughout the Carvetii territory. Under Roman rule the Carvetii would have had around 150,000 men provisioning around 9,000 Roman soldiers. Some will have become soldiers themselves whilst others will have been direct suppliers. Most Roman forts and towns have an associated ‘Romano British’ It must have been important to the occupation of the Solway Coast and area. The evidence for the settlements settlement adjacent to them called a military regime to have these spurs close scrutiny may reveal other roads are hundreds of small trackways and ring ‘Vicus’. The Vicus was the equivalent because it would have been relatively not yet discovered. Before the Roman ditches. They knew how to farm the land of the modern market where most simple to supply troops and goods along occupation the Carvetii were the Iron Age in various ways from animal husbandry commodities were traded. The Roman the line of the wall and its associated inhabitants of the Solway Plain and were through to the growing of crops. soldiers brought wealth in their pay road ‘The Stanegate’. a small tribe within the area controlled and this was quickly returned to the Whilst these people were expert at However, the Romans chose to build on by the Brigantes, a larger tribe. local economy of the Solway Coast. feeding themselves, after the Roman extremely difficult terrain such as across Unlike other tribes, the Carvetii lived in conquest they were paid to supply the Toward the end of Roman peat bogs to connect to the second line small rural groups and not in large Roman military with food and other of military forts. occupation the Carvetii had lost densities in villages and towns. These provisions. Other than agricultural their independent identity and There are many other artefacts on maps small groups consisted of extended produce they would have supplied beer, name and became part of the new associated with the Roman military families and were scattered around the milk, game and fish. Kingdom of Rheged. 8 Five Circular Walks around the Roman Frontier Five Circular Walks around the Roman Frontier 9 Hadrian’s Wall Path National Trail In May 2003, after a lapse of In seeking to respect the internationally 1600 years, an historic link between important nature conservation interests Visitors are also encouraged to the Solway and Tyneside was of the Solway, the Trail has been follow the tips and advice within re-established. For the first time deliberately aligned away from the most since the Roman occupation of the World Heritage Site’s very own sensitive sites so as to safeguard the Britain ended, perhaps, the public can country code. “Every Footstep birdlife and its habitats. now follow an unbroken 84-mile Counts” is promoted right across signposted footpath bet-ween Bowness-on-Solway (the Roman Finding the right balance between access the Trail and while some of its and conservation while respecting the Maia) and Wallsend on the Tyne messages relate more to the better (Segedunum).