HWP Day 1 - Bowness-on-Solway to Carlisle 27 May 2013.

Hadrian's Wall Path with Bourne Coffee Company - Day 1
Bowness-on-Solway to Carlisle
Distance 23.6km
Monday 27th May 2013

Following the drive across to Bowness-on-Solway, we started the walk.  We were following the Official National Trail Guide, although the guide covers the route east to west, we would be walking west to east.

At the start there is a little pavilion with notices and signs saying good luck at the start.  Here we met three lads who had just finished walking The Path, they had walked east to west, although not all the way as a couple of them had started from Heddon-on-the-Wall.  Anyway after our photos, and getting the stamp in my book, we made a start, it was raining a little as we started down the road.

The countryside was interesting, I had never been here before.

We walked following the distinctive acorn symbol used for all National Trails, and could see before we reached one of the bends in the road that a part of it was flooded.  We could see this was through the clouds of spray from cars driving slowly down the road.  We had only drove down this part of the road less than half an hour before ourselves and it was clear then.  When we got round the corner we were surprised at actually how much water had collected on the road and we had to walk along the raised verge.

From Port Carlisle the Path turns left behind some houses and took us by the waters edge.  After passing the water on the road I was expecting to see a lot more land flooded, although it looked possible, it had not happened.  We passed Kirkland Scar which looked like a seawall that had been built to direct water away from the area of the houses.

Kirkland Scar

It did not take us long to start counting down the pages in the book or the milecastles we were passing.  Just pass milecastle 78 we turned right and moved inland, crossing the road we followed a footpath towards a campsite.  Where we turned left, south east along a very straight track along what was shown as the course of the vallum.  This took us straight into Glasson.  In the guide it shows the vallum is a part of the defences on the south side of the Wall.

Outside the Highland Laddie pub in Glasson The Path turns right for a few hundred meters.  It also appeared that the weather was starting to clear.

Anne and David just before the turn outside the Highland Laddie Pub.

After a few hundred meters The Path turns left across some fields.  Instead of following the Wall we now moving along paths taking us around a part of the area.  We were still travelling south east and joined the Cumbria Coastal Way, where we turned left, north east, and walked into Drumburgh.  At Drumburgh we passed an interesting building with interesting carving on the wall and on the top, Drumburgh Castle.

Drumburgh Castle

From Drumburgh The Path follows a dismantled railway east, which runs next to the road and near the coast.  It is very straight with a couple of little rises at road junctions until we arrived at Burgh by Sands.  This part of the road is also liable to flooding, with signs saying the water reaches a depth of a foot deep in places and two feet deep in other places.

At Burgh by Sands we had a short stop at the pub for a quick rest with a cup of tea/coffee.  Next to the pub is a memorial to King Edward I.  The book and sign shows that he died near here while waiting to cross the Solway.  It also says he is laid to rest in the church, St Michaels with a fortified tower which is just down the road.

St Michael's Church

Along here the Path is on the road and it is still following part of the route of the Cumbria Coastal Way and is now on the course of the Wall, into Beaumont.

Anne at Beaumont

At Beaumont there were signs advising part of the Path near the river had collapsed and an alternative route was in place.  I nearly took us down the road to Monkhill, before David stopped us and we turned to head down another road towards Kirkandrews-on-Eden.  At the bottom of the bank we turned left down a track and back onto the correct path.  Once back on The Path we turned right through a field and up some steep steps back to a level of high ground.  The view was stunning.

Passing through a number of stile gates, and over a few open fields, passing what once looked like a train station platform we passed through Grinsdale.

From Grinsdale The Path follows by the River Eden, straight into Carlisle.

It was along here we noticed a new major road that was not shown in my guide.  We walked under this before joining the Path next to the river again.

Spot the heron

We arrived in Carlisle after walking about 5 hours including stops and had covered approx 14.7 miles (23.6 km) according to the guide.  We soon met up with Susan, after something to eat we headed back to the campsite at Greenhead.

More to follow


Boz North
Details correct at time of walking.

If you have enjoyed reading my walk or found it useful you may also like to read other walks I have done on The Hadrian Wall Path or other areas. Please check out the links on the right hand side.

Follow link to next - Day 2 Carlisle to Greenhead
(If you want information on the Bourne Coffee Company previously Caer Urfa Coffee Company. Please follow the link.)