Walk: Artistic views
4:50pm Friday 5th September 2008
Choose a fine day to enjoy Silloth, a small quiet town with glorious views. It nestles on the Cumbrian shore of the Solway Firth, facing across the wide estuary to Dumfries and Galloway. On a still day, when the sea is calm, Criffel - Dumfries’s high hill - is pleasingly reflected in the glassy water. On a less than still day, wrap up warm and enjoy the waves breaking against the shore and the clean invigorating air racing inland. If possible, stay to watch a sunset, fine enough to be recorded for posterity by J.M.W. Turner, the landscape artist.
Silloth gets its name from the time when the Cistercian monks from Holme Cultram Abbey, at nearby Abbeytown, stored their grain in silos known as sea-lathe - the barn by the sea. Until 1854, when it was described as ‘a rabbit warren inhabited by rabbits’, it had only a few scattered farms. It was then that the Silloth Bay Dock and Railway Company started the development of Silloth as a town and held a competition for its design and development. This resulted in an architect-designed town of gracious proportions.
By late Victorian days, it had become a seaside resort in its own right.
Today it has wide, tree-lined streets, some of which are cobbled, an enormous green, small copses of magnificent Scots pine and a wide promenade.
Park in the car park to the right of the lifeboat station, grid ref 106537. To reach Silloth from the south, use the Wigton bypass and then the B5302. Follow this B-road for ten miles and then turn left to drive along Criffel Street, the main street. Then take the next right turn, Lawn Terrace. After less than a quarter-of-a-mile, turn right into the car park.
Before there was a station or crew, Silloth’s fire crews did the rescue work. One wild night a report was received of a man seen trapped by the incoming tide on the marsh. Four firemen set out to rescue him but alas all were trapped and lost their lives. Whether the man escaped by his own devices or whether the sighting was a mistake, it is not known, but no one was ever reported missing.
1/ Join the promenade and go right. Notice the fine Scots pines that cover a large grassy mound and beyond, the large green. Continue on, with good views of Criffel across the estuary, to your left, and long stretches of green to your right. Pass a small discreet amusement arcade and then another hillock where more Scots pine thrive. The prom has good seats placed at regular intervals where you and your companions can pause and enjoy the delightful peaceful atmosphere. If the tide is receding you are likely to see many birds on the exposed sand.
2/ Then the grassy area on the right is replaced by a reinforced wall, which is part of the sea defences. Go on to the end of the prom where a notice says that ‘beyond this point the way is not suitable for wheelchairs’. Now is the time to return. Idle as you go to enjoy more of the lovely views, of Criffel and the Scots pine.
3 You might wish to venture into the little town. The traffic is light, though large lorries do make their way to Carr’s grain mill, which you pass on the right. The mill was built here so that ships could off-load the grain directly into the factory. Once it was distributed by rail but after the Beeching cuts in the 1960s the line became disused and wagons took over. Continue on, with the large green to your left and the colourful buildings and Victorian-fronted shops ahead. Dominating all is Christ Church, with its tall spire, built of grey granite imported from Ireland. To visit the shops you need to negotiate the cobbled Criffel Street. The cobbles (granite setts) were laid to save the hoofs of the horses from slipping as they dragged heavy carts of coal to the docks before the railway was built. The cobbles, which have a preservation order on them, must be maintained. They are charming but they do increase the traffic noise and make for a bumpy wheelchair ride. You will notice the wideness of the original streets, built in this way to enable the four-in-hand carriages to turn.
4/ At the corner of Criffel and Eden Street is The Golf Hotel. This was privately owned until, during the 1914-18 war, the state took over the Carlisle brewery to curb drunkenness in munitions workers. All the hotels and inns in the area came into state ownership and remained so until 1970. Beyond, along Eden Street, is the National Westminster Bank, where the husband of the famous singer, the late Kathleen Ferrier, was manager. Many older residents of Silloth can remember her.
5/ Left, beyond the church, and then right, is Liddell Street. Here, situated in the old St Paul’s parochial school, a red Victorian building, is the Solway Coast Discovery Centre. The centre has temporary exhibitions and offers a film tour. It has a ‘made-in-Cumbria’ shop and a pleasing cafe, plus disabled access and facilities. Return the same way to the parking area.
Information
Distance: 2 miles Time: 2 hours Terrain: Fairly smooth ride along the prom and roads; some of the kerbs are a little high.
Map: OS Explorer 314 NB: Restrictions on space mean that this article provides a general summary of the route. It is advisable for anyone who plans to follow the walk to take a copy of the relevant Ordnance Survey map.