Wigtwizzle - Norman Smith's Travel Blog.: solway firth

Question...where can you go in Cumbria for some quiet photography on a sunny day when The Lake District is full to bursting? Answer...Maryport beach when the tide is out.

The rocks on Maryport's North Beach are from the Sherwood Sandstone group. The Sherwood Sandstone Group, formerly known as the Bunter Sandstone, predominantly consists of sandstone and pebbly sandstone with lesser amounts of conglomerate and minor amounts of mudstone and siltstone and was deposited between 230 and 260 million years ago in the late Permian and Triassic periods. They are found in northwest England as far north as Carlisle (and extending just into Scotland around Annan and Gretna) and in the Vale of Eden and then extending down the Cumbrian coast into Lancashire and Cheshire. There is also a band running from Nottinghamshire up to Durham and the North East Coast.

Erosion by the sea has made the rocks form into lots of weird and wonderful shapes with many channels cutting through them, plus it's many pools have become a haven from small crabs and other shellfish. You can always see people on the beach collecting shellfish when the tide is out.

I'm always drawn to the coast though; the North West Coast of Scotland is an area I truly connect with but it's just a pity that I found it late on in my life. The stretch of coast and countryside between Gairloch and Lochinver is my idea of heaven, and I feel so privileged to be able to visit it every year. Also, I love my local Yorkshire coast, especially the Whitby area and then just a bit further northwards, the Northumberland Coast with its long sandy beaches and castles.

The Solway is just as beautiful though but maybe in a more rugged and industrial way, both on the Cumbrian side and across the Firth on The Galloway side, where Southerness and Kippford are both firm favourites. My star sign is Pisces, so maybe that has something to do with it.

Maryport Beach

Wreckage, Maryport Beach

Rock formations, Maryport Beach

Maryport Beach

Sea channel, Maryport Beach

Seaweed, Maryport Beach

Rock formations, Maryport Beach

I fell in love with Kippford (also known as The Solway Riviera) years ago, mainly due to its cockle shell beaches and rock pools and I think Sal was the same. She came with me for the first time last year and she couldn't wait to return this year. It also has the feel of a place yet to be discovered by the masses so when planning our summer mini-break, it was the first place on our "to go to" list.

I think she also fell in love with the tiny village of New Abbey, home to the romantically named Sweetheart Abbey which is just a few miles out of Dumfries. The abbey, located on the banks of the River Pow, was founded by Dervorguilla of Galloway, daughter of Alan, Lord of Galloway, in memory of her husband, Baron John De Vaux. After his death, she kept his embalmed heart, contained in a casket of ivory and silver, with her for the rest of her life, and it was buried alongside her when she died. In line with this devotion to her late husband, she named the abbey Dulce Cor (Latin for Sweet Heart).

I can't really remember exactly how I discovered Kippford but I think it was because someone recommended going to Sandyhills Bay which is just down the coast and then it all sprung from that. I think I took in Southerness, Rockcliffe, Kippford as well as Sandyhills that day and have been coming back once a year ever since.

What a great day we had; the weather was lovely albeit very hot and the tide was out just far enough for us to get some really nice photos. Walking, chatting and taking photos...what's not to like eh? The only thing that Kippford lacks is a good coffee shop but that wasn't much of an imposition because it allowed us both to have a delicious locally made ice cream instead! Anyway we had taken our coffee break earlier in the day at the delightful cafe overlooking Sweetheart Abbey.

It's always nice to discover and fall in love with places but even nicer when people very close to you do exactly the same thing. See you next year Kippford.