Over The Border

On Tuesday, with the threat of frequent, heavy showers in lakeland, we decided we would head just over the border in to Scotland for a short drive around the Solway Coast. It is always nice crossing the border because the roads suddenly become much less busy. So we headed towards Dumfries before turning to the coast and the little village of Southerness.

There is not much to see in the village itself, but when you get to the beach, the scene is dominated by Southerness Lighthouse. The second oldest lighthouse in Scotland, work began on it in 1748 as an aid to shipping headed for the Nith Estuary.

Improvements were made in 1805, under the watchful eye of Robert Stevenson. First lit in 1800, the lighthouse was finally decommissioned in 1936. But it still stands firm on the foreshore of Southerness, where it makes quite a tourist attraction.

From here, you get a good view across the Solway Firth, back towards lakeland...

...and we could just make out the imposing edifice of Carr's Flour mill (of water biscuit fame), some eight miles across the water, at Silloth.

From here, it was onward again, to the small village of Rockcliffe and a nice walk along the coastal path.

It was lovely to see the blue skies as we enjoyed the views across the estuary.

The path crossed a few small streams as they tumbled out of the woodland.

But by now, it was looking like we were going to get caught by one of those showers, so we headed back to the car and had our lunch while it passed.

Another lovely day, but home again on Wednesday, so time to make the most of what's left!

...and those views.

Just a couple more pics next time to round things off!