Wolsty Bank - Blitterlees - Wolsty Bank

Mike Patefield

You need to log in as a member of Walkingworld to access the details for this walk and have an active subscription. Please join, or log in above if you are already a member.

This walk is in the Solway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Cumbria isn't renowned for its coast: most visitors stay inland to explore the famous mountains and lakes. They don't know what they are missing! There are some fascinating stretches of beautiful coastline and the Solway coast, in particular, is a joy for bird-lovers.

The climax of the walk is the return through the dunes, which are home to wildflowers such as wild thyme, lady's bedstraw, rest-harrow, birdsfoot trefoil and harebell. The sands look barren but are home to a vast array of invertebrates that are food for a huge number of wildfowl, especially in winter. You may see curlews, oyster-catchers, little terns, bar-tailed godwits and little plovers among others, while seals, dolphins and porpoises have been sighted offshore. The views across the water to the hills of Dumfries and Galloway are superb.

There are no refreshment establishments directly on the route, but there are several pubs and tea shops in the area and for us, no trip to the Solway coast is complete without a visit to Twentyman's in Allonby to enjoy some of their famous ice cream.

England - North England - Cumbria - Solway Coast

Features

Birds, Flowers, Great Views, Sea, Wildlife

10/18/2015 - Mike Patefield

Thank you for your feedback Ken. We have been to check the walk as a result of your comments. This walk is, of course, well off the beaten track and so the paths are not heavily used. This means that they are not always visible on the ground but they are not difficult to follow. You are quite right that two stiles are badly overgrown at present. This has been reported to Cumbria County Council and I hope they will be cleared before too long. I wish we had taken some secateurs. We found no problem with any gate so that must have been a temporary problem

9/2/2015 - Ken Reid

My friend and I did this walk on the 1st September 2015. The beach section of the walk is delightful, but prospective users should be aware of some difficulties on the first section. First of all, the walk is not well used and some of the paths are not clearly delineated. Secondly, the crossing stiles are well hidden, being overgrown with gorse and brambles. This makes them difficult to negotiate safely. Finally, the farm has two gates that cannot be opened. One has been securely tied, and the other has had a wooden wedge driven into it to prevent the opening mechanism working. The only solution is to climb over them. Disappointing.