The Solway Coast is a designated
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is an area of countryside in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Areas are designated in recognition of ...
in northern
Cumbria
Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. C ...
,
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. It incorporates two areas of coastline along the
Solway Firth
The Solway Firth ( gd, Tràchd Romhra) is a firth that forms part of the border between England and Scotland, between Cumbria (including the Solway Plain) and Dumfries and Galloway. It stretches from St Bees Head, just south of Whitehaven ...
, the first running from just north of the city of
Carlisle, at the estuary of the rivers
Esk and
Eden, in a westerly direction as far as
Silloth-on-Solway, including the villages of
Bowness-on-Solway,
Burgh-by-Sands
Burgh by Sands () is a village and civil parish in the City of Carlisle district of Cumbria, England, situated near the Solway Firth. The parish includes the village of Burgh by Sands along with Longburgh, Dykesfield, Boustead Hill, Moorhous ...
,
Port Carlisle
Port Carlisle is a coastal village in Allerdale, Cumbria, England. It is in the civil parish of Bowness-on-Solway. Its original name was Fisher's Cross, but when it became the terminus of the Carlisle Canal it was renamed Port Carlisle. Durin ...
, and
Skinburness
Skinburness is a village in the Allerdale district of Cumbria (historically Cumberland), England. It forms a residential area for the town of Silloth, and is about 10 miles west of Wigton.
The Skinburness Hotel was the most prominent building ...
. The second area begins just north of the hamlet of
Beckfoot
Beckfoot is a hamlet in the civil parish of Holme St Cuthbert in Cumbria, England. It is located on the B5300 coast road, three miles south of Silloth-on-Solway and two miles north of the village of Mawbray. The county town of Carlisle is ...
, and runs south down the coast to the southern end of
Allonby Bay
Allonby Bay is a crescent-shaped bay of the Solway Firth on the north-western shore of Cumbria, England. The bay is across. Its northern point is at Dubmill, between the village of Mawbray and the hamlet of Salta, Cumbria, Salta, and its souther ...
near the village of
Crosscanonby
Crosscanonby (otherwise Cross Canonby) is a village and civil parish in Cumbria, England, historically part of Cumberland, near the Lake District National Park in England. It is situated within the Solway Coast, designated an Area of Outstanding ...
. Included in this area are the villages of
Mawbray
Mawbray is a village in the civil parish of Holme St Cuthbert in the Allerdale borough of Cumbria, England. Historically part of Cumberland. It is located on the Solway Plain, south west of Silloth, north of Maryport, and west of Carlisle. ...
and
Allonby, and the hamlets of
Dubmill
Dubmill is a settlement in the civil parish of Holme St. Cuthbert in Cumbria, United Kingdom. It is located approximately one mile south-west of the village of Mawbray, half-a-mile to the west of the hamlet of Salta, three-quarters of a mile ...
,
Hailforth
Hailforth is a small hamlet in the civil parish of Holme St. Cuthbert, in Cumbria, United Kingdom. It is located approximately half a mile south-west of the village of Mawbray, and a similar distance north-east of Salta. Carlisle, Cumbria's c ...
and
Salta
Salta () is the capital and largest city in the Argentine province of the same name. With a population of 618,375 according to the 2010 census, it is also the 7th most-populous city in Argentina. The city serves as the cultural and economic ce ...
. The hamlet of
Wolsty lies just outside the AONB. Beginning at Silloth, the
B5300 coast road runs in a south-westerly direction, entering the AONB just north of Beckfoot, and exiting near Crosscanonby.
Status
Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England and Wales are designated as such because of their beautiful scenery. The designating body is
Natural England
Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...
, and the reason for the Solway Coast's designation was to conserve what is considered one of the most scenic sections of English coastline.
Threats
The Solway Coast was designated an AONB because of its scenic vistas. However, the massive increase in construction of
wind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. Hundreds of thousands of large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, now generate over 650 gigawatts of power, with 60 GW added each yea ...
s, both off-shore and on-shore, has left many residents feeling that the area's natural beauty is being tainted. The section of coast between
Silloth-on-Solway and
Sellafield has recently been dubbed "Britain's Energy Coast", something which many see as being incompatible with the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. However, the increase in investment brought by the establishment of the Energy Coast, as well as the promise of new jobs for an area which has seen higher than average unemployment following the closure of mines and factories in the 1970s and 1980s, has proven popular with many residents of the area.
Flora and fauna
While an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is not designed to conserve wildlife or plants, a side-effect of conserving the landscape is the protection of the habitats of several species. Multiple species of butterfly, including some rare specimens, live on
Mawbray
Mawbray is a village in the civil parish of Holme St Cuthbert in the Allerdale borough of Cumbria, England. Historically part of Cumberland. It is located on the Solway Plain, south west of Silloth, north of Maryport, and west of Carlisle. ...
and
Wolsty banks, a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest within the Solway Coast AONB. Additionally, Mawbray and Wolsty banks along with Silloth dunes to the north are home to the very rare
natterjack toad
The natterjack toad (''Epidalea calamita'') is a toad native to sandy and heathland areas of Europe. Adults are 60–70 mm in length, and are distinguished from common toads by a yellow line down the middle of the back and parallel paratoid ...
''Bufo calamita'' and the
great crested newt
The northern crested newt, great crested newt or warty newt (''Triturus cristatus'') is a newt species native to Great Britain, northern and central continental Europe and parts of Western Siberia. It is a large newt, with females growing up to ...
''Triturus cristatus''. These sand dunes are among only three in Cumbria, and are doubly protected by their status as an SSSI and an AONB.
Solway Coast Discovery Centre
In the town of Silloth-on-Solway is the Solway Coast Discovery Centre, an exhibition detailing the geography and history of the Solway Coast AONB. As of 2014, the centre attracts around 12,000 visitors per year, and also provides tourist information for other attractions within the AONB.
The main exhibition in the discovery centre looks at the wildlife, geography, and communities along the Solway Coast, and how things have changed over time, from the last ice age to the present day. This includes looking at the arrival of various groups which conquered the region, including the Romans, Vikings, and Normans, and how the establishment of the Abbey at nearby Abbeytown had an effect on the coastal region. The exhibition was designed to be interactive. There is also an art exhibition, where local artists showcase their work, as well as a cafe and a tourist information office.
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Solway Coast's designation as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a film was produced and is available on DVD at the Discovery Centre.
The Discovery Centre opened in 2002, and was funded by a number of local, national, and trans-national agencies, including
Cumbria County Council
Cumbria County Council is the county council for the non-metropolitan county of Cumbria in the North West of England. Established in April 1974, following its first elections held the previous year, it is an elected local government body respon ...
,
British Nuclear Fuels
British Nuclear Fuels Limited (BNFL) was a nuclear energy and fuels company owned by the UK Government. It was a manufacturer of nuclear fuel (notably MOX), ran reactors, generated and sold electricity, reprocessed and managed spent fuel (main ...
, and the
European Regional Development Fund
The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is one of the European Structural and Investment Funds allocated by the European Union. Its purpose is to transfer money from richer regions (not countries), and invest it in the infrastructure and s ...
.
References
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Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England
Coasts of England
Protected areas of Cumbria
Solway Firth