| Solway Firth | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view of the firth | |
  Solway Firth Location in Scotland | |
| Location | Scotland, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 54°45′N3°40′W / 54.750°N 3.667°W /54.750; -3.667 |
TheSolway Firth (Scottish Gaelic:Linne Shalmhaigh[1]) is an inlet on the west coast ofGreat Britain, forming part of the border betweenEngland andScotland.[a] Thefirth (a Scottish term for an inlet of the sea) dividesCumbria (including theSolway Plain) fromDumfries and Galloway. TheIsle of Man is also very near to the firth. The firth comprises part of theIrish Sea.
The firth'scoastline is characterised by lowland hills and small mountains. It is a mainly rural area, with mostly small villages and settlements (such asPowfoot). Fishing,hill farming, and some arable farming play a large part in the local economy, although tourism is increasing.
The northern part of the English coast of the Solway Firth was designated as anArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty, known as theSolway Coast, in 1964.[2] Construction of theRobin Rigg Wind Farm in the firth began in 2007.
Within the firth, there are somesalt marshes andmud flats that can be dangerous, due to their frequently shifting patches ofquicksand.
There are over 290 square kilometres (110 sq mi) ofSites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in the area of the firth (one of which isSalta Moss), as well asnational nature reserves — atCaerlaverock and inCumbria.[3][4] On the Cumbrian side, much of the coastline has been designated anArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). TheSolway Coast’s AONB has two separate sections: the first runs westward from just north ofCarlisle toSkinburness; the second runs south from the hamlet ofBeckfoot, pastMawbray andAllonby, toCrosscanonby.
In 2013, thehoneycomb worm andblue mussel were designated as targets of conservation efforts, andAllonby Bay (an inlet of the Solway Firth) was put forward as a candidate for aMarine Conservation Zone.[5][6]
A 53-mile (85 km) long-distance walking route, theAnnandale Way,[7] runs through Annandale, from the source of theRiver Annan, in theMoffat Hills, to the Solway Firth; it was opened in September 2009.[8]
Unlike other parts of the west coast of Scotland, the Solway Firth has only a few islands. They are:
The Solway Firth is theestuary of theRiver Eden and theRiver Esk.
Below are links to lists of the other rivers that flow into the firth:
The name "Solway" (recorded asSulewad in 1218) is of Scandinavian origin,[9] and was originally the name of a ford across the mud flats atEskmouth.[10] The first element of the name is probably from the Old Norse wordsúl 'pillar', referring to theLochmaben Stane, though it may instead be fromsúla, meaning 'solan goose'.[9]Súl andsúla both have long vowels, but the early spellings of Solway indicate a short vowel in the first element.[10] This may be due to theshortening of an originally long vowel in theMiddle English period but may also represent an original short vowel.[10] If this is the case, the first element may be*sulr, an unrecorded word cognate withOld Englishsol 'muddy, pool', or a derivative ofsulla, meaning 'to swill'.[10]
The second element of the name is from theOld Norsevað, meaning 'ford'[9] (which iscognate with the modern English wordwade).
The area had three fords: the Annan or Bowness Wath, the Dornock Wath (once called the Sandywathe), and the main one —the Solewath (also called the Solewath or the Sulewad).
A wooden lighthouse was built in 1841 at Barnkirk Point (grid referenceNY 1903 6425). It was destroyed by fire in 1960.[11]
On 9 March 1876, a 79-ton FrenchluggerSt. Pierre, was stranded - and finally declared lost - on Blackshaw Bank, an ill-defined feature which extends for a considerable distance on both sides of the channel of the River Nith.[12]
Between 1869 and 1921, the estuary was crossed by theSolway Junction Railway on a 1780 m (5850 ft) ironviaduct.[13] The line was built to carry iron ore from theWhitehaven area toLanarkshire and was financed and operated by theCaledonian Railway of Scotland. After the railway, which was not a financial success, ceased operating in 1921, the railway bridge became a popular footpath, enabling residents of Scotland to easily cross intoEngland, wherealcoholic drink was legally available seven days a week. (Scotland wasdry onSundays at the time.) The viaduct was demolished between 1931 and 1933.
Margaret Wilson was a Scottish Covenanter who was executed by drowning in the Solway Firth in 1685. She was tied to a stake in the water and left to drown with the incoming tide. Margaret Wilson lived during a time of great turmoil in Scotland, with the Covenanter movement opposing the episcopalian governance of the Church of Scotland. The Covenanters sought to maintain their Presbyterian faith and resist the authority of the monarch.
John Everett Millais created an illustration, a wood engraving, depicting the Scottish martyr Margaret Wilson, tied to a stake in the surf at Solway, because, as a Covenanter, refusing to acknowledge James II as head of the church.[14] It was engraved by the workshop of Joseph Swain and published inOnce a Week in 1862.[15][16] Of further interest is John Everett Millais' painting, ;The Knight Errant (1870) original section was later sewn into another canvas and exhibited in 1872 asThe Martyr of The Solway (Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool; plate), which is similar to the woodcut noted here.
TheMinistry of Defence had by 1999 fired more than 6,350depleted uranium rounds into the Solway Firth from its testing range atDundrennan Range.[17]
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