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Hi! I'm Eunice and I live in Bolton, Lancashire, with my two dogs Sophie and Sugar and an assortment of cats - well it used to be Sophie and Sugar, now it's Sophie and Poppie. I first began camping back in 1997 when my then partner took me to Anglesey for my birthday weekend. We slept in the back of the car - a hatchback - using the cushions off the settee at home as a mattress, and cooked and brewed up on a single burner camping stove. The site was good, the views were great, the weather fantastic and I was completely hooked. Following that weekend we got a two-man tent and some proper accessories and returned to Anglesey two weeks later, then over time we progressed to a three-man tent followed by an old trailer tent, then a new trailer tent, a campervan and finally a caravan. When my partner decided that the grass was greener on the other side of the street - literally - in April 2009 and I suddenly found myself alone after fifteen years, I decided there was no way I was going to give up camping and caravanning if I could cope on my own. This blog is the story of my travels, trials and tribulations since becoming a solo camper - I hope you like it

Saturday April 20th 2019 Part 3 - Sauntering round Silloth

About eight miles along the coast road north of Allonby was Silloth and another mile or so beyond was Skinburness, which was was the furthest I could go on that stretch of the Cumbrian coast before the road turned inland. There didn't seem to be anything much there, not even a village shop or a pub, it looked to be just a residential extension of Silloth. For many years though there had been a big hotel at Skinburness but in recent times it became derelict and was eventually demolished; the only evidence that there was ever a building there is a vacant plot of land with bricks and bits of rubble strewn here and there. 

It was just past there that I turned the van round and headed back down the coast road, pulling into a lay-by to snap a couple of quick photos. The long shingle beach, backed by a stepped sea wall, was completely devoid of any human life but the heat haze across the water was beginning to lift and I could just about see Criffel, the only proper hill on the south west border of Scotland. 



Further down the coast road and almost back in Silloth was East Cote lighthouse, and with a free parking area close by I pulled in there and set off with the dogs to explore the promenade. The lighthouse was originally built in 1864 as a mobile structure on a short rail track and was one of two which indicated the approach channel to Silloth port. In 1914 it was fixed in its current position and had a small keeper's cabin below the tower, then in 1997 it was rebuilt in its original style. 



A distance down from the lighthouse I came to the seaward side of Silloth Green; set among trees on top of a small hill was a large square shaped shelter with a pagoda-style roof, and down below it at the far side was a childrens' play area with a blue painted floor where water jets would shoot up at random. A bit further on I came to the lifeboat station and a small scrappy looking funfair on a rough surfaced corner of land; beyond that was the dock which was completely fenced off and where the promenade ended. Retracing my steps a little I went up behind the lifeboat station and took a path which would lead me onto the far side of the green.



I hadn't gone very far along the path when I found a cute little fairy door at the base of a tree, and just a few yards further on was a second one. Now I must confess that I don't really 'get' what fairy doors are supposed to signify or be used for, if indeed they have any use at all other than as some form of decoration, but they were cute enough to photograph anyway. Across the green was a large marquee which had housed a craft fair now in the process of being packed away, and over the road was Christ Church, built in the late 19th century and the largest church in Silloth.



Heading back towards the van I came across a stone monument set on a square of cobbles with a large concrete planter at each corner; there was nothing to say what it signified other than in 1911 it was presented for public use by the Silloth Ratepayers Association and Improvement Committee. A bit further on was a flower bed with a large model aeroplane on a pole sticking up from the middle of it, which I thought was rather strange until I noticed that across the road was some sort of RAF social club.



That was to be my last shot in Silloth as time was getting on; it was 5.30pm by then so with the dogs settled back in the van I headed off on the drive back to the camp site. It didn't take long to whip up an evening meal once I was back at the tent - I had some instant mash (which doesn't taste like instant the way I do it), tinned carrots and instant gravy so with the pie left over from lunch time I had a tasty plateful, then before I settled in for the evening I took my final photo of the day, the evening sun over the fields and hills.



Weather-wise it had been a glorious day and even though my original 'sort of plan' had changed a couple of times it hadn't mattered - I'd had a lovely day exploring new places and got lots of (hopefully) good photos, so I guess you could say I was a very happy bunny.



10 comments:

  1. I have enjoyed reading about your trip and it must have made a nice change for you that the weather was lovely and sunny this time. It is an area I have never visited and, although quiet, appears to have a certain charm and an interesting history. X

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    1. The glorious weather lasted all through the weekend and was a complete contrast to last Easter when I ended up with snow on the tent :( I've never visited that area of Cumbria before so it really was a voyage of discovery for me :)

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  2. Yet another fantastic post making one feel and believe we are there with you and pets. Another great set of pictures to view. Thanks Tigermouse.

    Yvonne.

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    1. Thanks Yvonne, I'm glad you enjoyed the post and pictures :)

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  3. Silloth airfield was an important maintenance and training base in WWII, hence the memorial. Over 60 servicemen are buried in the nearby cemetery.

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  4. Thanks for that Jayne, I didn't realise there had been an airfield near there, I'll have a bit of a Google when I get a minute. One thing I did find out last night, the flour mill in Silloth supplies flour to Warburton's - my son didn't even know that! :)

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  5. I have some pictures of me aged 2 or 3 in Silloth. It was a Sunday School trip (I was probably too young for Sunday School, but when your father’s the minister you have to go to everything!) Needless to say, I remember nothing about it.

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  6. Very much the same as me Anabel. My dad was lay-preacher, church secretary and organiser-in-chief of any functions/trips, so I was dragged along to anything and everything - ended up hating the church and stopped going as soon as I was old enough to know my own mind. I do know we never went to that area of Cumbria though so this visit was completely new to me.

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  7. Lovely pictures as ever! I actually like instant mash!

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  8. I'm glad I'm not the only one, everyone I know hates instant mash. Things in tins and packets come in really handy when camping though :)

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