Solway Coast Rambles

Since Roman times, and before, the Solway Firth has been a frontier and as such has a rich and diverse story to tell. Overlaid onto this back cloth are the stunning range of wildlife habitats and the life they support. The ﬁve themed circular walks described in this guide are a celebration of the natural and cultural heritage of the Solway Coast, itself designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). As well as being part of the Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Site it is designated as a European Marine Site and a Special Area of Conservation. Most importantly though the area still retains its wild and unspoilt character. Find out more at hadrians-wall.org Designed by: Michaela Corrie Design ([email protected]) and solwaycoastaonb.org.uk Solwa y FiveCoas Circulart Walks Rambles around the Roman Frontier by Brian Irving Photography: Brian Irving (HELM Images) & Charlie Hedley (Natural England) | Illustrations: Walter Graham Editorial: Bryan Scott | Design: Michaela Corrie Design | Published: Hadrian’s Wall Trust 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 King Edward I statue, Burgh by Sands village green. Local and General Information 41, 42 Cover image: Criffel across the Solway Introduction This guidebook takes the walker through route and the maps themselves seek to what is probably the most tranquil place the walker in both time and space. backwater throughout the length of the The five themes are all unique to the area Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Site. and they link important events and human The five themed circular walks are a endeavours creating a unique experience celebration of the natural and cultural for the walker to enjoy and absorb. heritage of the Solway Coast, itself Since Roman times, and before, the designated as an Area of Outstanding Solway Firth has been a frontier and as Natural Beauty (AONB). As well as being such has a rich and diverse story to tell. part of the World Heritage Site it is designated as a European Marine Site Overlaid onto this backcloth are the and a Special Area of Conservation. stunning range of wildlife habitats and I hope that you enjoy the life that they support. Most importantly though the area still your explorations on the retains its wild and unspoilt character. The Solway is important internationally Roman Solway and that the The walks take the individual through a for its bird populations and this provides Solway experience will a further breathtaking spectacle for the varied landscape and they reveal the history stay with you forever! of that landscape including its wildlife, walker to enjoy. habitats and its agricultural history. Places of interest are explored along each 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 the Trail nevertheless endeavours to Visitors are also encouraged to 1600 years, an historic link between follow the historic course of Hadrian’s the Solway and Tyneside was Wall there are some important follow the tips and advice within re-established. For the first time exceptions - and for good reason. the World Heritage Site’s very own since the Roman occupation of In seeking to respect the internationally country code. “Every Footstep Britain ended, perhaps, the public can important nature conservation interests now follow an unbroken 84-mile of the Solway, the Trail has been Counts” is promoted right across signposted footpath between deliberately aligned away from the most the Trail and while some of its Bowness-on-Solway (the Roman sensitive sites so as to safeguard the messages relate more to the better Maia) and Wallsend on the Tyne birdlife and its habitats. (Segedunum). preserved archaeology further to Finding the right balance between access the east most also apply to the Of course over the years many other and conservation while respecting the Solway section of the route. The associations have connected England’s needs of farming is never an easy task. code, for example, explicitly narrow isthmus; George Stephenson, for Hadrian’s Wall Heritage and the Solway example, transported his locomotive Coast AONB unit work closely together advises visitors (and local walkers) Rocket from Port Carlisle bound for to promote and help spread the benefits with dogs to keep them on a lead, Liverpool and the Rainhill trials in the of responsibly managed tourism on the important on the Solway both for 1820’s, but the creation of the Solway.

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