Eden Estuary Trail

This weeks walk was the Eden Estuary Trail from a book called Solway Coast Rambles and it proved to be an excellent choice. The weather forecast shown earlier in the week was terrible and on Tuesday evening we were still not sure if we would be able to do the walk. This morning at 7.30am the BBC weather site showed the weather clearing in Burgh by Sands by 11.00am so we delayed our start and arrived there by 10.45am just as the rain stopped and the sky cleared. It remained like this for the 4 hours we were out with only one false alarm when we put our coats on and the small shower stopped immediately. Tom and Peter were unable to join us so especially with Tom absent there was nobody to argue with over the way to go. From the start point at the Greyhound Inn we turned left and walked for half a mile to discover we should have turned right. This added a mile to the 8 mile walk so after half an hour we back where we started and still with 8 miles to go. Niall and John are photographed in front of the statue to Edward the First of England or Longshanks the Hammer of the Scots.

Burgh by Sands is a lovely village with several Boulder and clay barns known locally as Clay Dabbins and these sit beside Victorian brick built houses and this beautiful Thatched Cottage

This is The Edward I Monument erected in 1685 on the spot where the King died in 1307. Edward died whilst camped on the marsh close to the Stony Wath where his army could cross to Scotland at low tide. Rather him than me as it must have been a dangerous crossing.

The lovely view of the River Eden just before it enters the Solway.

On the marshes there are several of these bridges and as you see them in the distance you think they are a bridge to nowhere but in reality they take walkers over some very deep tidal ditches.

Niall and John view one of the deep ditches.

On the other side of the river is the village Rockliffe named after the escarpment. We followed the curve of the river to the little village of Beaumont and had a short break on the village green before heading back to Burgh by Sands along the Hadrians Wall footpath. A smashing walk and even although it was fairly flat it was tough walking and we were glad of a refreshing pint in the Greyhound Inn on our return.