Solway Coast

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Solway Coast
Spring day at Grune Point, Cumbria - geograph.org.uk - 74081.jpg
Grune Point, Cumbria
Solway Coast AONB.png
Solway Coast AONB locator map.svg
Location Cumbria, England
Nearest town Silloth
Area118 km2 (46 sq mi)
Established1996
Governing bodyThe National Association for Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Website https://www.solwaycoastaonb.org.uk

The Solway Coast is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in northern Cumbria, England. It incorporates two areas of coastline along the Solway Firth, the first running from just north of the city of Carlisle, at the estuary of the rivers Esk and Eden, in a westerly direction as far as Silloth-on-Solway, including the villages of Bowness-on-Solway, Burgh-by-Sands, Port Carlisle, and Skinburness. The second area begins just north of the hamlet of Beckfoot, and runs south down the coast to the southern end of Allonby Bay near the village of Crosscanonby. Included in this area are the villages of Mawbray and Allonby, and the hamlets of Dubmill, Hailforth and Salta. The hamlet of Wolsty lies just outside the AONB. [1] Beginning at Silloth, [2] the B5300 coast road runs in a south-westerly direction, entering the AONB just north of Beckfoot, and exiting near Crosscanonby.

Contents

The track leading to the beach near Mawbray Yard, in the civil parish of Holme St. Cuthbert in the Solway Coast AONB. Near Mawbray Yard, Cumbria.JPG
The track leading to the beach near Mawbray Yard, in the civil parish of Holme St. Cuthbert in the Solway Coast AONB.

Status

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England and Wales are designated as such because of their beautiful scenery. [3] The designating body is Natural England, and the reason for the Solway Coast's designation was to conserve what is considered one of the most scenic sections of English coastline.

Threats

Robin Rigg wind farm (pictured here while still under construction in 2009) has proven controversial with residents and supporters of the AONB. Robin Rigg from Allonby.JPG
Robin Rigg wind farm (pictured here while still under construction in 2009) has proven controversial with residents and supporters of the AONB.

The Solway Coast was designated an AONB because of its scenic vistas. However, the massive increase in construction of wind turbines, both off-shore and on-shore, has left many residents feeling that the area's natural beauty is being tainted. The section of coast between Silloth-on-Solway and Sellafield has recently been dubbed "Britain's Energy Coast", [4] something which many see as being incompatible with the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. However, the increase in investment brought by the establishment of the Energy Coast, as well as the promise of new jobs for an area which has seen higher than average unemployment following the closure of mines and factories in the 1970s and 1980s, has proven popular with many residents of the area.

Flora and fauna

While an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is not designed to conserve wildlife or plants, a side-effect of conserving the landscape is the protection of the habitats of several species. Multiple species of butterfly, including some rare specimens, live on Mawbray and Wolsty banks, [5] a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest within the Solway Coast AONB. Additionally, Mawbray and Wolsty banks along with Silloth dunes to the north are home to the very rare natterjack toad Bufo calamita and the great crested newt Triturus cristatus. These sand dunes are among only three in Cumbria, and are doubly protected by their status as an SSSI and an AONB. [6]

Solway Coast Discovery Centre

The Solway Coast Discovery Centre in Silloth. Solway Coast Discovery Centre - geograph.org.uk - 40355.jpg
The Solway Coast Discovery Centre in Silloth.

In the town of Silloth-on-Solway is the Solway Coast Discovery Centre, an exhibition detailing the geography and history of the Solway Coast AONB. As of 2014, the centre attracts around 12,000 visitors per year, and also provides tourist information for other attractions within the AONB.

The main exhibition in the discovery centre looks at the wildlife, geography, and communities along the Solway Coast, and how things have changed over time, from the last ice age to the present day. This includes looking at the arrival of various groups which conquered the region, including the Romans, Vikings, and Normans, and how the establishment of the Abbey at nearby Abbeytown had an effect on the coastal region. [7] The exhibition was designed to be interactive. There is also an art exhibition, where local artists showcase their work, as well as a cafe and a tourist information office.

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Solway Coast's designation as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a film was produced and is available on DVD at the Discovery Centre. [8]

The Discovery Centre opened in 2002, and was funded by a number of local, national, and trans-national agencies, including Cumbria County Council, British Nuclear Fuels, and the European Regional Development Fund. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solway Firth</span> Firth that forms part of the border between England and Scotland

The Solway Firth is a firth that forms part of the border between England and Scotland, between Cumbria and Dumfries and Galloway. It stretches from St Bees Head, just south of Whitehaven in Cumbria, to the Mull of Galloway, on the western end of Dumfries and Galloway. The Isle of Man is also very near to the firth. The firth comprises part of the Irish Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allonby</span> A village on the Cumbrian coast in England

Allonby is a village on the coast of Cumberland in Cumbria, England. The village is on the B5300 road 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Maryport and 8 miles (13 km) south of Silloth. The village of Mawbray is 3 miles (4.8 km) to the north, and 3.5 miles (5.6 km) to the east is the village of Westnewton. The county town of Carlisle is located 26 miles (42 km) to the north east. Other nearby settlements include Crosscanonby, Edderside, Hayton, and Salta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beckfoot</span> A hamlet in Cumbria, England

Beckfoot is a hamlet in the civil parish of Holme St Cuthbert in Cumbria, England. It is located on the B5300 coast road, three miles south of Silloth-on-Solway and two miles north of the village of Mawbray. The county town of Carlisle is twenty-five miles away to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crosscanonby</span> Human settlement in England

Crosscanonby is a village and civil parish in Cumbria, England, historically part of Cumberland, near the Lake District National Park in England. It is situated within the Solway Coast, designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solway Plain</span> Human settlement in England

The Solway Plain or Solway Basin is a coastal plain located mostly in northwest Cumbria in England, extending just over the Scottish border to the low-lying area around Gretna and Annan. It lies generally north and west of Carlisle along the Solway Firth, and is drained by the rivers Esk and Lyne. It is associated with the westernmost part of Hadrian's Wall. In medieval times, clay houses known as dabbins were commonly built on the Solway Plain. The Solway coast has been designated an “Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty”.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blitterlees</span> Human settlement in England

Blitterlees is a small hamlet in the parish of Holme Low, one mile south of Silloth in Cumbria, United Kingdom. The hamlet of Wolsty is located approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) to the south as the crow flies, or 2.25 miles (3.62 km) by road, and Cumbria's county town, Carlisle, is located 23 miles (37 km) to the east. The B5300, known locally as the "coast road", runs through the village on its way to Beckfoot, Mawbray, Allonby, and ultimately Maryport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salta, Cumbria</span> A hamlet in Cumbria, England

Salta is a hamlet in the parish of Holme St Cuthbert in northwestern Cumbria, United Kingdom. It is 1.1 miles (1.8 km) southwest of the village of Mawbray, and 25.1 miles (40.4 km) southwest of the city of Carlisle. It has a population of about 35 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B5300 road</span> A road on the Cumbrian coast in England.

The B5300 is a B road which runs for approximately twelve miles between the towns of Silloth and Maryport in the Allerdale borough of Cumbria, United Kingdom. From north to south, it passes through the villages of Blitterlees, Beckfoot, Mawbray, Dubmill, and Allonby. It runs through the Solway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, passes close to the Salta Moss Site of Special Scientific Interest, Milefortlet 21, a Roman archaeological site, the salt pans, a remnant of the Solway plain's medieval saltmaking industry, and the village of Crosscanonby. It is an important route for carrying goods to and from Silloth docks and Maryport harbour. It is also the major road connecting smaller coastal settlements with Maryport and Silloth, from where other roads lead to Workington, Whitehaven, Wigton, and Carlisle. A short section of the road between Dubmill and Mawbray was closed in February 2019 due to coastal erosion, and reopened in June 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holme St Cuthbert</span> A civil parish in Cumbria, England

Holme St Cuthbert is a small village and civil parish in the county of Cumbria, United Kingdom. The village is located approximately 23 miles to the south-west of Carlisle, Cumbria's county town, and was historically in the county of Cumberland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edderside</span> A hamlet in Cumbria, England

Edderside is a hamlet in the civil parish of Holme St. Cuthbert in Cumbria, United Kingdom. It is located approximately one mile as the crow files to the south-east of Mawbray, or two-and-a-half miles by road, and a similar distance east of Salta, and north-east of Allonby. The small hamlet of Jericho is located less than a mile to the north-east. Approximately 23 miles to the north-east is the city of Carlisle. Allonby Bay, an inlet of the Solway Firth, is one-and-a-half miles to the south-west, as is the B5300 coast road which runs between Silloth-on-Solway, six-and-a-half miles to the north, and Maryport, six miles to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newtown, Holme St Cuthbert</span> A hamlet in Cumbria, England

Newtown is a hamlet in the civil parish of Holme St Cuthbert in Cumbria, United Kingdom. It is located approximately two miles north-east of the village of Mawbray, a little over half-a-mile as the crow flies to the south-east of Beckfoot, and twenty-five miles west of the city of Carlisle. The B5300 coast road runs approximately three-quarters of a mile to the west of the hamlet, which goes to Maryport, nine-and-a-quarter miles to the south-west, and Silloth-on-Solway, approximately four miles to the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holme Low</span> A civil parish in Cumbria, England

Holme Low is a civil parish in the Allerdale borough of Cumbria, United Kingdom. It borders the parishes of Holme St. Cuthbert and Holme Abbey to the south, the town of Silloth-on-Solway to the north-west, and has a short stretch of coastline on the Solway Firth to the west. To the north, it is bordered by lands common to Holme St. Cuthbert, Holme Low, and Holme Abbey, which is an unpopulated area. Holme Low had a population of 373 in 137 households at the 2001 census, reducing slightly in the 2011 Census to a population of 362 in 162 households.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hailforth</span> A hamlet in Cumbria, England

Hailforth is a small hamlet in the civil parish of Holme St. Cuthbert, in Cumbria, United Kingdom. It is located approximately half a mile south-west of the village of Mawbray, and a similar distance north-east of Salta. Carlisle, Cumbria's county town, is situated twenty-five miles to the north-east. The hamlet consists of four houses, and is situated on the road which runs from Mawbray to the coast, where it joins the B5300 at Dubmill, three-quarters of a mile to the south-west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarns, Cumbria</span> A settlement in Cumbria, England

Tarns is a small farming settlement in the civil parish of Holme St. Cuthbert in Cumbria, United Kingdom. It is located two miles north-east of the village of Mawbray, and twenty-three miles south-west of Carlisle, Cumbria's county town. The B5301 road runs through the settlement, and along that road the town of Silloth-on-Solway is located five-and-a-half miles to the north, and Aspatria four-and-a-half miles to the south-east. Other nearby settlements include Aikshaw, Goodyhills, Jericho, and New Cowper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allonby Bay</span> Bay of the Solway Firth, in Cumbria, England

Allonby Bay is a crescent-shaped bay of the Solway Firth on the north-western shore of Cumbria, England. The bay is 5.5 miles (8.9 km) across. Its northern point is at Dubmill, between the village of Mawbray and the hamlet of Salta, and its southern end is just to the north of Maryport, near the village of Crosscanonby. The B5300 coast road follows the shoreline of Allonby Bay, running between Silloth in the north and Maryport in the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wolsty</span> A hamlet in Cumbria, England

Wolsty is a small hamlet in the civil parish of Holme Low in Cumbria, England. It is located three-and-a-quarter miles south of Silloth-on-Solway, five miles west of Abbeytown, three-and-a-quarter miles north of the village of Mawbray, and twenty-three miles west of Cumbria's county town, Carlisle. The B5300 coast road, which heads north toward Silloth-on-Solway and south to Mawbray, Allonby, and Maryport, is three-quarters of a mile away by road, or less than a quarter of a mile by way of an unpaved farm track.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B5302 road</span> A road in Cumbria, England

The B5302 is a B road which runs for approximately twelve-and-a-quarter miles between the towns of Silloth-on-Solway and Wigton in Cumbria, United Kingdom. From west to east, it passes through the villages of Causewayhead, Calvo, Abbeytown, Wheyrigg, and Waverbridge, and also passes near to Blackdyke and Blencogo. At its eastern end, it comes very close to the Solway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and passes by Silloth Airfield, left over from the Second World War. Several of the villages that the road passes through were formerly served by trains on the single-track Carlisle and Silloth Bay Railway, which closed with the Beeching axe in the 1960s. It is the main road connecting Silloth-on-Solway and surrounding settlements with the A596, and by extension, the city of Carlisle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dubmill</span> A settlement in Cumbria, England

Dubmill is a settlement in the civil parish of Holme St. Cuthbert in Cumbria, United Kingdom. It is located approximately one mile south-west of the village of Mawbray, half-a-mile to the west of the hamlet of Salta, three-quarters of a mile south-west of the hamlet of Hailforth, and one-and-a-half miles north of the village of Allonby. Carlisle, Cumbria's county town, lies approximately twenty-eight miles to the north-east. The B5300, known locally as the coast road, runs through Dubmill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salta Moss</span> A Site of Special Scientific Interest in Cumbria, England

Salta Moss is a raised blanket mire which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest ('SSSI') located in the hamlet of Salta, in Cumbria, United Kingdom. It was determined to be of biological interest under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The site, measuring 45.6 hectares, was officially designated in August 1982.

References

  1. ↑ "Solway Coast AONB - Contact, directions, Other information (map)" . Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  2. ↑ "Telegraph - Britain blows hot and cold on wind farms" . Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  3. ↑ "Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty - Natural England's Role" . Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  4. ↑ "Britain's Energy Coast" . Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  5. ↑ "Cumbria Butterflies - Mawbray Banks" . Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  6. ↑ "Natural England - Mawbray Bank and Silloth Dunes SSSI" (PDF). Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  7. ↑ "Solway Coast AONB - Exhibitions at the Discovery Centre" . Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  8. ↑ "Solway Coast AONB - Films" . Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  9. ↑ "Solway Coast AONB - History of the Centre" . Retrieved 9 January 2015.

54°53′N3°20′W / 54.883°N 3.333°W / 54.883; -3.333

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