Bowness-on-Solway: Hadrian’s Wall and Solway Firth

Bowness-on-Solway connects the western end of Hadrian’s Wall with the landscape around the Solway Firth. The village is suitable as a starting point for a trip combining Roman history, distinctive coastal landscapes and various types of walking routes. When choosing a holiday apartment or holiday house for this region, you can orientate your days more towards culture and history or towards routes through the landscape.

Roman traces and historic village scenery

The Roman fort at Bowness covers an area of 2.38 hectares, making it the second-largest fort on Hadrian’s Wall after the fort at Stanwix. The monument includes the Roman fort with its associated structures as well as a medieval tower house. A small shelter marks the western end of Hadrian’s Wall at Bowness-on-Solway, providing clear orientation for anyone interested in the course of the historic frontier system.

St Michael’s Church also adds to the historic character of the village. It is a 12th-century church that was restored in 1891. Inside are stones originating from Hadrian’s Wall; the church also has 21 stained-glass windows, of which the eastern window dates from 1891. The grounds contain an old sundial, the grave of a smuggler, a mortuary house and a medieval stone coffin. St Michael’s Church presumably stands on one of the buildings of the Roman fort.

The historic character extends into the present-day street layout: the main road through Bowness follows the route of the Via Principalis through the former site of Maia. Other sights include the ruins of the former Solway Viaduct, a 1.8 km-long railway bridge across the Solway Firth between Scotland and England.

Solway Coast and distinctive landscapes

Bowness-on-Solway lies on the shore of the Solway Firth, within the Solway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and in the Solway Coast National Landscape. Bowness Sands includes sand dunes, salt marshes, shingle beaches and peat bogs. Bowness Common and the other upland bogs are also protected; the hollows and shallow ditches created by peat extraction are still visible. These varied landscape elements give the trip a clear character of nature and discovery, without every outing having to follow the same pattern.

At the Solway Wetlands Centre, you can find an exhibition on the local flora and fauna, maps for planning visits and information sheets for exploring the Solway Coast. Visitors can also borrow nets and identification guides there for exploring ponds. In the area around Bowness-on-Solway, it is also possible to explore a building made of clay and Dabbins, constructed using a traditional building method once widespread throughout the Solway Plain.

Walks, cycle route and day planning

The Hadrian’s Wall Path National Trail begins or ends in Bowness-on-Solway. The long-distance walking route is 84 miles (135 km) long. Anyone planning a longer walk can take this total distance into account when planning their trip; for a different way of getting around, Hadrian’s Cycleway is available from Bowness-on-Solway.

There are also shorter, clearly described options. The Solway Wilderness 1 Circular Walk One starts in Bowness-on-Solway and is 9 miles (14.5 km) long. The Walk to Rogersceugh consists of a level path 800 m long from the car park to a bird hide; there are viewing screens along the way. This allows you, when choosing your accommodation and planning your days, to distinguish between a longer circular walk, an extended long-distance hike and a shorter level path without confusing the different formats.

Getting there and further orientation

Bowness-on-Solway can be reached by car via Cycle Route 72 or by bus. The main advantage of accommodation in the village is the opportunity to include the historic village setting, the Solway landscape and the routes mentioned in your own travel plans. Which holiday apartment or holiday house suits you depends on your preferred rhythm between culture, nature observation, cycling and walking.

For further trip planning, you can also find Kirkby Stephen, Sedgwick, Ainstable, Windermere, Stapleton, Levens, Underbarrow and Crosby Ravensworth.

For the overarching travel overview: Cumbria.