Cumbria Coast

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Cumbria’s epic coastline stretches around 160km from the Solway Firth and border with Scotland in the north to Morecambe Bay and Lancashire in the south. Although lying largely outside the boundaries of the Lake District National Park, this is a part of the county which merits equal attention for its scenic beauty, history, flora and rich abundance of wading birds and rare wildlife. From sweeping beaches to towering cliffs, seafaring ports to genteel holiday resorts, wetlands to limestone pavements, the sheer variety of this intriguing coastal strip and its immediate hinterland is perfect for walkers of all abilities.  Darren Flint and Donald Greig’s hand-picked selection of 40 coastal and estuary walks reveals a unique but relatively little known part of a county that even today still has the capacity to surprise and delight.

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Cumbria Coast

Although long celebrated for its lakes and mountains, Cumbria’s coastline offers as much interest and beauty as the county’s interior but receives nothing like the same number of visitors and seldom feels as busy. With its attractions spread out down its length of 160km or so, there’s plenty of space for those discerning visitors who make it beyond the fells to this enticing shoreline.

Here, too, are significant population centres – places of past and present industry, such as Workington, Whitehaven and Barrow-in-Furness, interspersed with busy and historic towns at Silloth, Maryport, Egremont, Millom and Ulverston. In summer, the long stretches of shingle and sand that line the Solway Firth in the north are a major draw, while birds wheel above the cliffs of the central coast around St Bees. From the shore around the Furness Peninsula and Kent estuary in the south, the vast expanse of Morecambe Bay stretches beguilingly as far as the eye can see.

History

This is border country, where boundaries in both the north and south have been disputed over centuries and where warring nations have repeatedly come face to face in battles and cross-border raids. Roman Cumbria formed the northwest frontier of Britain and of the Roman Empire, with the construction of Hadrian’s Wall at the Tyne-Solway isthmus redefining Roman territory in a retreat from the Antonine Wall further north. Several of the walks in this guide trace sections of this great symbol of Roman power.

In the 10th and 11th centuries, Cumbria bounced between the English, Scots and Northumbrians, with competing factions all vying for control of territory and strategic north-south routes. Come the Normans, William I’s conquest stumbled in Cumbria, which by then was a no-man’s land between England and Scotland. William II took a firmer hold and built a castle at Carlisle to help shore up the northern defences. Despite this, the Scots held the castle and town to siege no fewer than seven times between 1173 and 1461, making it the most frequently besieged place in the British Isles. Egremont Castle, too, was built around this time, with the town growing up around it. Profits from the local market were almost certainly used in founding St Bees Priory. Carlisle Castle makes for a fitting start point for the first walk in this volume, with both Egremont Castle and St Bees featuring later on.

Despite regular skirmishes, relative peace prevailed for two centuries. The Norman Priory Church in Carlisle became a cathedral in 1133 and abbeys were founded across the region, including those at Holme Cultram (now Abbeytown) and on the Furness Peninsula. Eventually, though, the Wars of Scottish Independence spilled over the border in the 13th and 14th centuries. Edward I (Longshanks, Hammer of the Scots), Robert the Bruce and William Wallace all made their presence felt and, in 1307, camped on the Solway Plain with Scotland tantalisingly in sight, Edward drew his last breath. The spot where he died is marked today with a memorial and is visited on the Burgh by Sands walk.

From the 14th to 17th centuries, there was almost constant unrest due in large part to the Border Reivers, local clans from north and south of the border who regularly raided each other’s lands for cattle. The Union of the Crowns in 1603 marked a turning point, when James VI of Scotland acceded to the throne as James I of England, subsequently bringing his unruly northern territories to heel.
The dawn of the Industrial Revolution brought development down the Cumbrian coast, where coal and iron mined since the 17th century in the area around Workington and Whitehaven were used in the developing shipyards at Barrow-in-Furness, transforming what was once a small hamlet into a world-renowned manufacturing centre for submarines (a walk from Barrow to Roa Island sets out through the dockyards). Around the same time, a nascent tourism industry in and around the Cumbrian lakes grew rapidly with the development of local infrastructure, especially the railways, leading eventually to the creation of the Lake District National Park in 1951. Four of the walks in this guide are inside the park, while three others traverse its boundaries.

The Cumbrian Coast today is a fascinating mix of rural and industrial, maritime and mountainous. Arable and livestock farms abut the sandy shores of the Solway and energy producers capitalise on the elements, with both on- and off-shore windfarms and the nuclear power station at Sellafield. For walkers, there is an almost endless choice of superb routes suitable for all abilities.

Walking, weather and safety Despite being only a short hop from Carlisle and within easy reach of the tourism honeypots of the Lake District National Park, this area remains relatively undiscovered. On many of the walks in this volume, beyond the towns and villages, you might have a beach, estuary or fell all to yourself.Cumbrian weather is notoriously fickle, especially – but not exclusively – on the higher ground beyond the coastal plain. Snow can linger on the higher ground longer here than in many other parts of the country, spring may arrive later and late frosts are not uncommon.

Seasonal variations mean that the worst excesses of the weather are likely to be avoided in spring and summer and, more often than not, walking on the coast itself is without problem. Indeed, on a sunny day it is positively blissful. But rapidly changing conditions are not uncommon and in the hills, in particular, when the clouds descend and the mists obscure the way ahead, there can be little choice but to rely on a compass or turn back. The advice, therefore, is to be prepared, with layers of clothing, waterproofs, a compass, OS map and something to eat and drink. And if in doubt about conditions or your own ability to navigate, don’t be afraid to retreat.

Transport

Travel by train is one of the joys of this area. An impressive 26 stations mark the progress of the Cumbrian Coast Line as it runs from Carlisle all the way down to Barrow-in-Furness. Note that some places are request stations, so check in advance and if need be make your destination known to the guard on boarding.
There are another 11 stations on the Furness Line which runs from Barrow to Lancaster, including Ulverston, Grange-over-Sands and Arnside.

Although a bus network operates down the length of the coast, it mostly serves the main towns, making some of the more rural parts hard to reach. Taxis may be the only option in such places, in which case it is best to arrange any rides home before setting out as mobile coverage can be patchy. Many routes start from a small village, beside a church, or pull-in area, where parking considerately is the order of the day. If an event is on and the car park is busy, please look elsewhere for a space. Take care not to block farm gates.

About the guide

Distances range from 3km to 16km and timings are generally a maximum of three to four hours based on walking 3.5km-4km per hour, plus extra time for harder and steeper terrain. Not included in the times are refreshment breaks, wildlife spotting or stop-offs for visiting attractions or shopping.

Details of the relevant OS Explorer map (1:25,000) are given for each walk. The illustrative maps included for each route are designed to be used in conjunction with the listed OS map and it is recommended that you always carry the relevant OS map with you.

Dogs can be taken on all of these walks and, it goes without saying, need to be kept under control and on a lead through fields of livestock, sensitive wildlife habitats or where signs advise. A note on livestock: this is farming country and on the majority of walks you’re likely to come across livestock, usually sheep in the upland areas and cattle on the lower pastures. Always keep dogs under control and avoid taking them into fields during lambing or calving seasons, which generally run March-May, but could start earlier.

Places of Interest

Allonby
Angerton Moss
Arnside
Arnside Knott
Barrow-in-Furness
Beetham
Bela, River
Birkrigg Common
Black Combe
Blackstone Point
Bleng, River
Bowness-on-Solway
Broughton-in-Furness
Burgh by Sands
Campfield Marsh
Carlisle
Cartmel
Coast to Coast Path
Crosscanonby
Cumbrian Coastal Way
Dalton-in-Furness
Drumburgh Moss
Duddon Mosses
Eea, River
Eden, River
Egremont
Ellen, River
England Coast Path
Farleton Knott
Finglandrigg Wood
Fleswick Bay
Foxfield
Furness Abbey
Glasso
Gosforth
Grange-over-Sands
Grune Point
Hadrian’s Wall Path
Hampsfell
Harrington
Hodbarrow
Holme
Kent, River
Kirkbride
Levens Hall
Lowick Common
Maryport
Mawbray
Millom
Mill Side
Morecambe Bay
Muncaster Castle
Muncaster Fell
Parton
Piel Island
Port Carlisle
Ravenglass
Roa Island
Rockcliffe
St Bees
Seaton
Siddick Ponds
Silloth
Skinburness
Spark Bridge
Ulverston Sands
Walney Island
Wampool, River
Whin Scar
Whitbarrow
Whitehaven
Workington

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