Western Coast & Solway Firth

England 2025 - Day 20

Moving day today, as after the excitement of the breakfast squirrel visit, we made our way from Forest How and Eskdale to Keswick, where we will spend the next 6 nights.

First stop was in Egremont, at the ruins of Egremont Castle, once the home of the Lords of Egremont since way back in the 12th century.

Then it was off to St Bees Head on the western coast and the Irish Sea. It is at the southern tip of the Solway Firth. Further along the Solway Firth is St Bees Lighthouse and foghorn station, in the middle of a limousin cattle farm and high on the cliffs. It has been there since the late 1700's. From here you can see the Isle of Man in the distance.

Here there is a colony of Black Guillemots, the only breeding colony for them in the UK. They nest high on the cliffs where they are safe from predators. They are the northern hemisphere equivalent of the penguin and there are about 5,000 on St Bees Head. A Guillemot lays a single egg which is conical; one theory is that this stops it rolling off the ledge. After hatching,
both parents feed the chick for 3 weeks until it fledges and jumps into the sea. A real sink or swim moment! The male then continues to feed it until it's able to fly.

From here we went further up the Solway Firth to Maryport and its Roman Museum. It was once a Roman fort and part of Hadrians Wall. The museum is in an old military battery.

We also had a quick stop to have a look at Lake Bassenthwaite on our way to Keswick.Read more