Our angel AirBnb host has again gone the extra mile by driving with us to Beckfoot, where we leave our car and then taking us on to Skinburness – needless to say he got a glowing review. We get out of his car opposite an eminently forgettable house just outside the village. It’s only saving grace is a red letterbox on the front wall. Time to lace up….
Turning left we head south on the coastal path, stopping to enjoy views across the Solway Firth and over to Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland. We are so close to the border now………..
Further down the road we walk past Silloth East Cote Lighthouse, a metal pyramid tower which apparently displays a fixed green light. Rebuilt in 1997 to replace previous lighthouses that had fallen into disrepair, it is the most northerly lighthouse on the west coast of England.
On the road into Silloth-on-Solway we encounter another of the striking oversize steel sculptures by Ray Lonsdale. This one is called “Big Fella” and depicts a man and his dog looking out to sea.
The other two I remember from our walks are “Tommy” on the seafront at Seaham County Durham and the seated fisherman entitled “Fiddlers Green” at North Shields. But there are many more……………..I find them all very moving.
https://artuk.org/discover/curations/sculpture-showcase-the-works-of-ray-lonsdale
And so we walk into Silloth, across the immaculate seafront green, hoping to find a cup of tea and a bun.
On the edge of the green, opposite the RAF club sits a replica of a World War II Lockheed Hudson bomber. The memorial commemorates the town’s extensive aviation history and the role of nearby RAF Silloth during World War II. It played a vital role in protecting shipping lanes from enemy attacks – lest we forget.
Tempting but there’s only space for one and I’m not sitting on Damian’s lap…….
Having not been successful in finding a suitable place for a cup of tea we move out of the town through the small but busy docks and back to the seashore..
The next few miles are all about what coastal walking should be – a grassy path besides a wild stretch of sand dunes – the sea is miles away and we meet no-one.
At some point it becomes obvious that we need a rest so we move onto the beach to find a spot to sit in the sun out of the wind. Before we settle something catches my eye up ahead – could that possibly be a plastic chair? Intrigued we move on and discover a perfect refuge, made out of driftwood and furnished with three or four chairs set up in a semi-circle. “Travellers Rest” indeed……..magical.
Time to go – a little later we pass another driftwood shelter but either it’s in its initial stages or it’s been abandoned.
And at Beckfoot the car awaits – we now plan to drive back to Skinburness and walk around Grune Point, a spit of land jutting out into the Solway Firth.
Grune Point is a circular walk around vast mudflats and sands. The path starts though a gate and is well signposted. Here’s what we may be lucky enough to spot – sky larks trill overhead but we see none of the wading birds.
The path we are on is the England Coast Path (can’t be bothered with the King Charles) and at some point it starts to curve back on itself to head back to Skinburness.
There is however a small track leading out to the actual Point so we continue straight on to have a look. An information board tells us we have arrived and tucked behind a dense copse of gnarly trees is a very unusual pill box. This one would not look out of place in Tibet and has been constructed using cement filled sandbags, stacked in a circular shape.
Time to go home after a last look over the empty wetlands…………….
Distance: 8 miles
