Exploring nature
Where do you begin to explore the nature that exists along the Solway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty?
The obvious place is the seashore, which dominates this landscape, but what about the dunes, the saltmarshes, the peatbog mires and marshes, the acres of rolling countryside, and the towns and villages themselves? This is a place to come back to again and again.
The wildlife of the Solway is renowned, from the fascinating marine life to the specialised flora and fauna further inland.
Wildflowers thrive in so many different places, from the strandline above the high tide mark on the shingle shore, in the dunes, on the marshes and in the raised mire peatbogs,
Migratory bird species including barnacle geese, can be found on the marshes while unusual plants such as the insect-eating sundew can be found on the mosses.
You can see marine mammals including porpoises and seals from the promenade at Silloth, or amazing honeycomb worm reefs near Allonby when the tide is out.
Then there are the dragonflies, butterflies, the rare natterjack toad and so many more species, all of which can be found in the varied countryside.
There are the animals which graze the coastline and the bogs and marshes as part of our management of this evolved landscape, and the sea creatures and marine plantlife which can be found in the rockpools every time the tide goes out.
Check out our wildlife pages to find the wildlife that interests you the most, and our environments section to discover what makes our different spaces so special.
You can also download our wildflower or birdwatching guides here, or pick up a free copy from the Discovery Centre in Silloth.
