Discovery Centre & Tourist Information

In the centre of Silloth is The Discovery Centre, home to the Tourist Information Centre and a permanent exhibition about the Solway Coast Area of National Beauty.

Here you will find everything you need to know about the area, from where to stay, where to go for food and drink, information about special events and activities, and practical information to help you make the most of your visit.

The exhibition tells the tales of the Solway Coast from the last ice age to the present day. You’ll step back in time to the days of woolly mammoths and gigantic ice sheets, then discover the vast forests which almost covered northern Cumbria as we know it today, as well as the wolves and giant deer which called them home.

Then find out what happened when man came to the coast, clearing the forests to farm the land. The Romans built Hadrian’s Wall, the Vikings settled here and left us with the ancient fishing technique called haaf netting which they used to catch salmon and sea trout.

Then there was the Norman Conquest and the establishment of the monasteries – things which had such a lasting impact on the Solway Coast that their legacy exists today, in our place names, our buildings, the patterns on our landscape, and the prosperity of the entire area. Fast forward to the Industrial Revolution that shaped our ports, our canals and our railways – all of which can still be seen as part of this unique landscape.

And then there’s our wealth of natural heritage, and the birds and animals which call this place home.

Discover them all in Silloth.