Day I: 8th September 2008.
Weather: Dull, with occasional sunny spells, finishing with light rain
Bowness-on-Solway to Carlisle: 14 ¾ miles (15.8 on the Pedometer)
Total Steps: 33263
Acc Steps: 33263
Today was my daughters 22nd birthday but she was away on holiday (with XL airways who went bust while she was away!) so I couldn’t phone her up to wish ‘happy birthday’ or the Latin equivalent. I stoked up with a good size breakfast for the first day and had a chat with some ladies who had completed the path yesterday. They told me to expect wet conditions underfoot as I went along, and suddenly it dawned on me that I didn’t have my gators with me. Never mind, it’s not the first or the last time I’ve forgotten kit, despite my best intentions. I left my bag for collection by the Walkers baggage service, and they didn’t let me down all week; unlike the ladies whose bags were left in Carlisle by another baggage company and had to be transported by taxi later in the day – not what you want at the end or the start of the journey. Stepping out into a cool autumnal morning I felt the familiar thrill of a long walk ahead and with the smell of the river close by, I couldn’t help but smile in anticipation of the days to come. The walk from the B&B to the start passed by the local church which is constructed of old red sandstone. It had an invitation at the gate to enter and rest your weary limbs after the long journey - but as it was only 50m from the Old Rectory I thought better of it. The start (or the end) of the walk is by the River Eden, and was marked by a wooden gateway that covered a mosaic designed by the local schoolchildren (see the flora & fauna page).
Approaching the starting gate
ready… steady…go…
This featured many of the wildfowl seen on the nearby mudflats and salt marshes, and was marked Ave Maia (Fort Maia). The landlady at the B&B didn’t think that this was a fitting start or finish, but I thought it was as good as many I have seen. Regardless of the state of the start I was more than happy to begin a new journey, and commence a walk across a great period of history marked by Hadrian’s Wall. The first thing I spotted today was a curlew wading along the shores of the Eden, and a heron stood to attention in the morning stillness.
The lone curlew
The old docks at Port Carlisle
It was a lovely start to the day, peaceful and still, with a view over the Solway Firth to Scotland beyond. The route followed the road initially passing by Bowness Marsh and the mudflats before coming to Port Carlisle. The old lock entrance can still be seen by a row of cottages, and is made up of distinctive old red sandstone blocks, you can still see the old slots for the lock gates. Parts of the old canal course can be seen along the route, and the old quayside is still standing proud surrounded by silt and mud. On the mud bank was a spaniel which had got himself in a bit of a fix. He was barking furiously and scaring away the assorted birdlife on the bank while trying to find a way back to the shore – maybe he would wait for high tide and swim. It certainly broke the tranquillity of the morning. The views were long and flat and far, with no hint of the hills to come, and further along the path to the south the northern fells of Blencathra and Skiddaw could be seen. The route winds its way beside the road, sometimes along gorse lined paths with limited views and then cutting inland to muddy farm tracks, crossing waterlogged fields. The ground here has been saturated by a long wet summer and has been made worse by the fact that the fields are mostly grazed by dairy cattle. This has the unfortunate effect of churning up the ground to such an extent that it becomes a muddy morass that holds water without draining away. Needless to say that the heavy going across the fields was not the best for walking, and it required a series of carefully chosen footfalls to avoid most of the waterlogged ground. I passed by the village of Glasson and continued across fields and farm tracks to Drumburgh. There were information signs posted detailing the Cumbria Wildlife Trust's Drumburgh Moss national nature reserve, and the fact that there are Exmoor ponies roaming around to graze the land in an effort to protect the fragile peat bog. The peat bog is one of the last remaining on the Solway Plain and needs constant work to preserve its native plant species. The ponies are eating their way through unwanted scrub on the site for the next couple of years- rather them than me. Once into the village of Drumburgh I paid a visit to a self-service refreshment stop that had an honesty box, the first of several along the way. It was pleasant to sit and have a freshly made cuppa and a Kit-Kat bar. Close by was the fortified house of Drumburgh Castle, a fine building that also has a couple of Roman altar stones in the garden from a Roman temple somewhere. The front steps are a later addition and the original entrance would be high off the ground to deter invaders. It was originally built almost entirely with stones from Hadrian's Wall, by Thomas Lord Dacre early in the 16th century. Licence to crenellate the preceding tower had been granted in 1307.The upper doorway of the house once had a date of 1518 - apparently.
Drumbergh Castle
It’s a lovely view, but the seats not too comfy
Beyond Drumburgh the way takes to the road and there is a warning sign of how deep the tidal waters will be at certain times of the year – check with the tourist information office (01697 331944). It is a long straight road with an embankment to the right, which is part of the flood defence system – there is a set of large sluice gates further along the road or it could have been the old railway line? Or maybe both, why build another bank if one is there already. There was a constant stream of traffic along here travelling at a fair speed, so I spent lots of time hoping on and off the verges. Boustead Hill is passed after a couple of miles, perched on a hill to keep the houses dry, and there are some lovely houses sitting in a row gazing north to the Scottish borders. I continued rambling along at no great pace – 2mph was slow enough to take everything in. I found myself stopping an awful lot on this walk, and if you walk along with head down to make mileage you will miss some interesting sights and sites. I met and chatted with a gent from Hexham (kitted out with NUFC shirt) who was walking the wall and being picked up and taken home everyday by his mum! - he was at least in his late thirties.
One of many splendid Cumbrian signposts along the way
The church at Burgh-by-Sands
At the end of the long straight I walked into Burgh-by-Sands, resisting the charms of the Greyhound pub and the Edward 1 monument, and continued through the village to the church. Unfortunately (for someone) there was a funeral taking place so I didn’t get time to look around the church properly, but I could see the distinctive Pele tower (not named after the footballer) and a quick peek inside showed the entrance door in the interior. All the gentlemen arriving at the church were wearing black suits and dark glasses, and there were similarly dressed ‘security’ people looking very like extras off the Sopranos giving quite a sinister air about the place, so I departed a bit quicker than I arrived. As at Drumburgh Castle the church seems to be made up almost entirely of stone that the Romans would have used for the wall – apparently there is a pagan gods head inside the church – but I really couldn’t have gone in to investigate. Shortly after the village the route leaves the road and returns to the soggy field paths and tracks across to Beaumont. The muddy lanes into Beaumont gave way to roads and I walked out next to the church onto a delightful triangle of grass with a thoughtfully placed seat under a small tree. As I was looking over to the church – sited on a raised mound and again built from Hadrian’s wall stone, the rain started to fall gently but persistent. Indeed from here to Carlisle it persisted down for the rest of the day. There is a small Roman inscription carved into some sandstone in a wall opposite the church – look for the ochre coloured stone. Not much to look at but Roman nonetheless, and I’m sure I spotted a couple of Roman drain covers set into the walls.
A muddy farmtrack
The church at Beaumont
Onwards I rambled, not lonely as a cloud but quite content, as I crossed more muddy fields towards the River Eden – a familiar sight over the next day. It was fairly swollen with rainwater and the water level was high up its banks. I was disappointed to see the invasive himalayan balsam along the riverbank – the flowers look nice enough but it is choking out a lot of native species. It also smells rank in the autumn, a bit like the sickly sweet smell of burnt sugar in the shopping malls. The wasps were busy enough though, and they were flying in and out of the balsam looking as if they were covered in white flour. The path veered away again from the river, and crossed fields towards the village of Grinsdale. I crossed over a stile into a field full of frisky young bullocks. They had no intention of moving away from the stile until I gave them some verbal encouragement, and they scampered off across the field only to return and bother some American walkers. They were ok with passing them by, but the next gent in a red coat looked very wary, and the last glimpse I saw him vaulting over the stile hotly pursued by a load of bullocks!
An old stone boundary marker?
A very full River Eden
After the village of Grinsdale I rejoined the river path and splodged my way towards Carlisle. There were a couple of bridges to pass and the usual urban sprawl that thankfully was mostly out of sight. But the arses on the scrambling bike were not out of earshot, and nor was the police helicopter pursuing them. As I passed the large electricity pylons the swallows were gathering and I wondered how long it will be before they disappear to warmer climes. Once I had walked beyond the recreation grounds the path passes into a park with tarmac paths and easy walking. Carlisle castle was away to my right, but as it was raining and late in the day, so I didn’t visit. I stopped in the park to talk to a very informative lady who told me about the level of the flood waters in Carlisle in 2005. I was amazed to learn how high the waters had risen (above the traffic lights) – I thought the water was high enough today.
Carlisle Castle above the trees
I thanked her and moved along onto the main road and uphill to my accommodation for the night. After a well deserved shower and shave, I walked into Carlisle centre, through the underpass and wandered around a little. I was directed across town to a lovely little restaurant called the Gilded Lily, it had great service and was good value – a perfect end to the first day apart from the rain. But I have umbrella and will travel far!
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