On The Solway Coast ~ Cumbria.

Allonby.

A few weeks ago the forecast in Cumbrias Eden Valley was a little damp, so time to head out to the coast, where there were better weather conditions. 😊 We found ourselves in Allonby, a small seaside village on the North West Coast. I must admit we seem to gravitate here whenever we need a sea air fix.

I appreciate Allonby because in common with most areas on Cumbrias coastline, it’s beautiful but never too busy. There’s always somewhere to park up and the beach is dog friendly.

Hugo looking towards Scotland.

The settlement looks out over The Solway Firth towards Scotland and is in an Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The village has a shabby charm with coastal cottages and genteel old buildings, harkening from an illustrious past.

The Old Reading Rooms, now a private home.

Once a Herring fishing port and a Salt panning community, Allonby also has ties to the Quaker movement. Many of its most impressive buildings were built by the Quakers ,including The Old Reading Rooms and The Old Lodge. Another grand residence is the former Bath House, once in vogue with Victorian visitors flocking to the village for sea water cures.

Victorian visitors included writers Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens who stayed two nights in The Ship Hotel , as part of their 1857 tour of Cumberland. Possibly meaning to only explore The Lake District, the two writers alighted here after Collins sprained his ankle whilst walking up a misty Carrock Fell. Dickens announced that recuperation by the sea would be a great idea, Allonby pinpointed on a map was chosen to help Collins recovery. There are conflicting reports concerning their thoughts on Allonby. Dreary and primative seemed to be two descriptions, though the Ship was proclaimed ‘ a capital little homely inn ,looking out over the sea’ by Dickens. The pub looked to be quite abandoned and shut on our visit though…

Percy Kelly’s Cottage. Image via Newsandstar.co.uk

The Impressive looking former Bath House.

A famed artist, Percy Kelly resided in and around Allonby for much of his life. His paintings and etchings of industrial coastal landscapes brought him many celebratory admirers including royalty. Despite this Kelly rarely exhibited and didn’t like to sell his art , at the time of his death he had accumulated a mass hoard of paintings stashed in his home. Glen Cottage in the village was the artists house for twelve years and is now a sympathetically restored holiday cottage.

Mural that appeared over lockdown. A tribute to Colonel Tom Moore.

Doggy ice 🍦 cream at Twentymans.

My ice 🍨 cream. I must admit it was very fast melting!

Allonby Beach.

Sadly a few businessess in Allonby seem to have closed since our last trip, including The Codfather Fish & Chip Shop. 😟 Happily the villages famous ice cream store Twentymans is still going strong, so we all treated ourselves before heading 7 miles North to Silloth.

Silloth.

The Victorian Seaside Town of Silloth- On -Solway is a leisurely place with a three mile promenade and a large town green. It looks out over The Solway Firth towards Dumfries & Galloway in Scotland. The sunsets on this part of the coastline are noted to be stunning. Like nearby Allonby there are no dog restrictions on the nearby beaches. We are however yet to find the supposedly sandy shores here and reason they must be on the outskirts. On both our visits we have headed along the long promenade and not walked far enough it seems….

Mrs Wilson’s Coffee House & Eatery.

The Town Green looking very parched. There had been no rain for weeks back then.

Carousel near the Promenade.

I see Scotland.

The never ending prom.

A quite recent addition to Silloths promenade is Big Fella, a 12 feet steel sculpture of a man sat on a bench with his dog, looking out towards the sea, perhaps he is admiring a Solway Sunset. He was commissioned by a local man Peter Richardson, am admirer of Ray Lonsdale, it’s creator. Sadly Peter died before Big Fella was completed. I’m sure he would be delighted with the result.

Big Fella.

Big Fella. Yes he is a Giant!

Steps down to the sea.

Anchor ⚓ near the RNLI shop.

Cobbled roads.

Refreshment at Mrs Wilson’s.

We have yet to discover more of Silloth. Apparently ( as well as beaches) there is an AONB Discovery Centre in town, a motorcycle museum and miles of coastal walks.

Are you a fan of the Solway Coast?

Silverdale Saunter.

Back to the beach again! But this time it’s a saunter round Silverdale, a Lancashire village ( but only just ! ) on Morecambe Bay near the Cumbria Border. We visited here last Summer whilst staying in nearby Arnside. In fact we have camped in Silverdale before too, but these photos are just from an afternoon saunter in August. For one reason or other I didn’t take as many pictures as usual. Darn!

The Arnside and Silverdale AONB is a breathtakingly beautiful place. I follow a blogger from the area ~  Beating The Bounds regularly walks & cycles the meandering lanes and rocky limestone outcrops that make this little coastal corner so special.

But back to our visit. It was a warm but quite grey August day,  showers too I think. There was a summertime vibe in the village, pops of colour from yarn bombing and bunting.

Silverdales Millennium Clock in its vibrant yarn bombed jacket.

Yarn bombed!

Busy day at the Blossom Bird cafe. 🐦

Hugo seemed to know where we should take him ( he is after all  ‘ The Most Important’ ) and pulled us toward the shore. We walked along the sands a while,  finally coming to a little inlet behind woodland at Gibraltar Farm Campsite. We probably weren’t meant to cut through the site, but thought we could get away with looking either lost/ confused / campers. 😉

Shoreside cottages.

Morecambe Bay.

Rocky cliffs.

Inlet.

We found ourselves at The Wolf House Gallery opposite Gibraltar Farm and stopped here for a takeaway lunch.

Honesty box eggs & jams ( and wellies 🙂 ) at Gibraltar Farm.

Wolf House. The last Wolf in England was said to be hunted near here.

Outside the gallery.

After lunch we continued up a quiet lane to two local landmarks. Jenny Browns Point is a beautiful viewing point with wide reaching vistas over the bay. There is a lovely looking house here that is said to have been home to Jenny Brown herself. But who was she? It is said she may have been a nanny who tried to save her charges from the waves. Or more romantically, was she a lovelorn maiden waiting for her mate to return , feared lost at sea. No one knows for sure.

Cottage at Jenny Browns Point.

Lime Kiln at Jenny Browns Point.

Nearby is Jack Scout Nature Reserve , managed by the National Trust. We weaved our way through the gorse and other windswept shrubs to find a rather grand stone seat. If your ever around Silverdale be sure to sit on The Giants Chair and enjoy the views.

The Giants Chair.

View from Jack Scout.

Phew! Caught up at last on posts from our week on The Cumbrian ( and Lancashire) Coast in August of 2021.

Bye for now. 🐚

A Canal Walk To The Sea.

So here’s a throwback post to August and our stay in Arnside on the Cumbrian Coast. A short train journey away is the characterful town of Ulverston, a place we have visited several times before. The towns cobbled streets and plethora of independent shops, cafes and pubs make it a great destination for generally mooching about. After a ‘ mooch about’ we would be heading along the World’s Shortest, Deepest and Widest Canal, for a walk to the Sea.

Ulverston.

Laurel and Hardy and friends.

Movie Theatre inside the Museum.

The morning we visited Ulverston it was exhibiting typical Lake District weather! To escape the rain we spent a good hour or so in the towns Laurel and Hardy Museum. Stan Laurel was born in Ulverston in 1890 and must surely be  it’s most famous resident. The museum has a good selection of the comedy duos memorabilia,  as well as a small cinema that plays Laurel & Hardy features on a loop. Our dog Hugo was made welcome and humoured us as we chuckled our way around. 😊

Museum Entrance.

After a lovely lunch at the nearby Stan Laurel Inn we were suitably refreshed for a canal side walk. Ulverston Canal is a former Ship Canal which linked Ulverston to Morecambe Bay, one and a half miles away.  Completed in 1796 ,the waterway claimed to be the shortest , deepest, widest …… and straightest Canal in the World. Once upon a time passenger ships to Scotland and London embarked from here as well as cargos of local slate. But when the Railway arrived in Ulverston in the 1840s, the record breaking Canals fortunes were on the wane.  By the end of the Second World War Ulverston Canal was no longer in use.

The Hoad Monument.

Today the waterway offers a serene amble from Canal Head in the town to Canal Foot with its splendid views over Morecambe Bay.  A footpath on the less industrial side of the canal is a popular stroll. There’s even a pub at the end. An incentive indeed!

Flowering Rushes.

A Map of Ulverston Canal.

Canal Side Retreat looking out over a  million lily pads.

We saw lots of wildlife as we walked along. Plenty of waterside wildflowers and much of the surface was covered in Lily pads. Mute Swans, Comerants, Moor hens and Mallards swam and dived amongst them.

Old Man’s Beard aka Travellers Joy.

Swanning off.

Half way along Ulverston Canal is a Rolling Bridge, the only one of its kind left in England. Forgotten about  for many years  , it was a history enthusiast who discovered the significance of the bridge and it was given Grade ll status in 2012.

Rolling Bridge.

More Lily Pads.

Juvenile Swans.

112 Foot Sea Lock, the only lock on the canal.

Before long we were at Hammerside Point , Canal Foot. Here the former Ship Canal meets the Leven Estuary. What a splendidly unexpected place…

Out to Sea.

Leven Estuary.

For some reason I forgot to take a photo of The Bay Horse Hotel  from the outside ,so below is a distant one I found online. The former Coaching Inn enjoys stunning views over the Bay. Once upon a time it was from here that brave travellers would make the perilous journey by stage coach, over the sands to Lancaster. The arrival of the Railway probably saved a lot of lives!

Bayhorse Hotel with conservatory.

A White Horse, not a Bay Horse, in the pub.

After a drink in the pub we retraced our steps back to Ulverston.  On the way an unassuming wooden shed near the Lock Keepers Cottage peeked my interest, especially when I saw its ‘ Welcome Humans ‘ sign?

Lock Keepers Cottage.

Welcome Humans.

Inside the Shed.

Whilst looking it up online later, I discovered that the Shed is part of an interactive Art Installation Project called the Last Human Coro Shed . Perhaps not what you would expect to see where a canal meets the sea…..

Goodbye Morecambe Bay.

Thanks for joining me. 😊

A week At The Caravan.

I feel like it’s been a while since I posted.  We recently had a week away at the caravan, which for my other half was a much needed break ,  having worked continuously through lockdown. A holiday we booked in Northumberland was cancelled , so I think this year we will try to make the most of our own holiday home. I know we are very lucky to have it !

Here is a quick round-up of what we got up to.  We are based in the beautiful Eden Valley, which is a rather undiscovered part of Cumbria. I love where we are as there is so much to explore nearby.


Chilling At The Van.  Of course we made a bit of time for relaxing as well. We are fortunate to have a large decking area ( probably three or four times bigger than our little yard at home) ,so it was always nice to sit out and enjoy the sunshine with a glass of wine…..or two. 😁


Langwathby Riverside Walk.  An Eden Valley walk we often enjoy with Hugo is The Ladies Walk from Langwathby, through Edenhall village & back. The circular route is 3 miles long and takes in lots of gorgeous wildflowers, a couple of sculptures, a Celtic cross and pretty cornfields, as well as the lovely river Eden of course. We even enjoyed coffees and flapjacks on the green at the end from Saddleback’s cafe , a converted horsebox.


Eycott Hill Nature Reserve.  Oh my goodness, I was in my element here!  Eycott Hill near Penrith is run by the Cumbrian Wildlife Trust..and it is such a beautiful place. Sadly I forgot my actual camera, and only had my phone camera to hand, so trying to take photos of all the wonderful wildlife proved impossible. But I did see lots of beautiful wildflowers including Grass of Parnassus, Bog Asphodel & Marsh Cinqefoil, as well as various butterflies and moths. There are Belted Galloway cattle grazing here and views of the surrounding Lakeland  mountains. Dogs are welcome on leads.



Marmalade March.  Having just looked up Marmalade March online, apparently it’s a track by the psychedelic porn crumpets. Who knew! It is also an alternative name for the Dalemain Loop, an extension of  The Ullswater Way, which is a twenty mile walkable route round Ullswater. I’m not quite up to that yet, so the five mile Marmalade March was undertaken instead. Dalemain ( an Eden Valley country house famed for its annual marmalade festival) was an excellent rest stop mid way, and we made sure to check on the gnarly stone  Dacre churchyard bears as well. 🐻


Cow Green Reservoir & Cauldron Snout. The caravan is on a site at the foot of the steep Hartside Pass, which resides in the North Pennines AONB. Over that hill lies more beautiful rugged terrain to explore, as Cumbria eventually turns into County Durham. The border between the two counties runs straight through the centre of the Cow Green Reservoir and the area is home to rare wildlife, such as  Golden Plover. A track takes visitors past the dam and to the top of Cauldron Snout, which is apparently England’s highest waterfall. Even on a bleak day, there was much wild beauty to take in.


Skiddaw Summit. Oh my, did my poor legs suffer after walking ( or should I say crawling) up Skiddaw. This was my 5th Wainwright, and by far the highest at 900 plus metres. Unfortunately we picked the worse day to do it, as a dense fog obscured any views. We ended up dripping wet from the fog and Hugo almost turned white. 😮 Was still worth it though!


Allonby on the  Cumbrian Coast.  It isn’t a holiday without going to the seaside, I say.  A sunny Saturday meant a trip to the coast. 😊We chose Allonby,  as it has a great beach for dog walking and we were looking forward to fish & chips. The Cod father didn’t disappoint.

So there you have it. Can’t wait to go back to the van in September for a week, and there will hopefully be a couple of weekends before then too.

Thanks for dropping by.

Sunday Sevens ~ 15th September 2019.

I haven’t done a Sunday Sevens for a while, so maybe it’s time to recap my week with 7 ( or more) pics from the last 7 days.

Last Sunday we were up at the caravan and because it was sunny I managed to persuade Wil that it was the perfect day to drive to the seaside . We are about an hour away from Allonby on the Solway Coast. What a lovely little place! I must admit the trip was partly inspired by fellow blogger Eunice’s very informative post about the village, which she visited over the Summer. I love that Allonby and it’s surroundings have inspired so many artists over the years and writers Charles Dickens & Wilkie Collins stopped here on their tour of Cumberland. For us it was just the perfect place for a stroll on the beach with Hugo. 🙂

I’ve managed to cross a couple of items off my 40 Things To Do Before I’m 50 Bucket List this week. Well kind of! One is to go to the remote farm in Yorkshire where Amanda Owen ( the Yorkshire Shepherdess) lives. She makes cream teas for the walkers that pass through. However she was actually doing a talk in nearby Longridge on Wed eve, so I got to see her there. She’s very down to earth , very funny and pretty awe inspiring. I got my book signed. I’m very chuffed!

Also on my bucket list is Eat Dutch Pancakes in Amsterdam. Well at the moment we are in Amsterdam! Having a bit of chill time so I thought I would upload some photos.

Canals & Bicycles.

Wils fave snack!

Spider Sculpture Rijksmuseum.

Sunflowers.

Poffertjes ( Dutch Pancakes) .

Stilt walking angel.

Rooftops.

Dam Square.

It’s my first time in the Dutch capital and I love it. 😀

Observations ~ Everyone rides bicycles, sometimes wearing flipflops or high heals, often carrying baskets of shopping, boxes, dogs, babies, etc

~ It’s a miracle that I didn’t get run over by a bicycle.

~The canals are full of noisy coots. These are small black water birds with white bills that build nests in boats and under canal bridges.

~The local drink is Jenever , a liqueur made from Dutch juniper berries. The term ‘Dutch Courage’ comes from soldiers taking a flask of this to war, for courage. I didn’t like it!

~ The outdoor markets are amazing. So many cheeses, mushrooms, stunning cut flowers etc

~ The Red Light District actually has a church in it ( The Oude Kerk) and the architecture there does make it an attractive place to visit.

~The rooftop on the Science Museum is a fantastic outside space with a free exhibition called Energetica .

~ There are lots of crooked houses….even if your not stoned. 😉

Outside space on the Science Museum rooftop.

Jenever Bottles.

A saucy brass sculpture outside the Oude Kerk.

The Sea Palace Floating Chinese Restaurant opposite our hotel.

Thanks to Natalie at Threads & Bobbins for devising Sunday Sevens. X