Haaf Netters Rest, Bowness-on-solway

Region: Impressive mountains, open fells and clear-water lakes, the Lake District has it all. From walking in the mountains to exhilarating watersports or just a gentle cruise on a steam-powered yacht, Cumbria is the perfect holiday destination.

Town: The village of Bowness-on-Solway lies within the Solway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, to the west of the city of Carlisle. The village has a pub and a tea room and Hadrian’s Wall stretches from the village to Wallsend near Newcastle for some 73 miles, with the walk being defined as a ‘National Trail’. The surrounding area is rich in bird life visiting the sand dunes, salt marsh, shingle beds, and peat mosses, and there are many viewpoints and lay-bys, perfect for spotting the waders: oystercatchers, curlew, golden and grey plover, lapwing, knot, dunlin, bar-tailed and black-tailed godwit, redshank, and turnstone. In 1869 a rail line, the Solway Junction Railway, was opened between Bowness and Annan in Scotland, connecting to the Maryport and Carlisle railway. The 1 mile and 176 yard long iron girder viaduct across the water was damaged by an ice build-up in 1875, and again in 1881. It was repaired and continued as a passenger train until 1914 when it became a freight train until 1921, before finally being demolished in 1934. Nearby, the market town of Wigton and the city of Carlisle are popular centres for shopping, pubs and restaurants. Wigton also has a weekly market taking place every Friday and also boasts a theatre. The Victorian seaside resort of Silloth is 16 miles away, whilst Keswick and the heart of the Lake District are reached in 40 minutes' by car. A wonderful base for exploring Cumbria and the Scottish Borders.