The western end of Hadrian's Wall is not where most people expect. Instead of a grand terminus, the frontier fades out among the tidal mud and salt marsh of the Solway Firth, near the village of Bowness-on-Solway, where the last fort once stood. Between Port Carlisle and Bowness the wall is almost entirely gone, its stones carried away for later buildings, and what survives is a line across the fields, a slight rise and a path along the shore. In this section the wall was originally built of turf rather than stone, a cheaper material for the flatter, softer ground.
The Solway is a place of enormous tides, and the water can retreat for kilometres, leaving a plain of shining sand and mud where wading birds feed, and then return with startling speed. Port Carlisle was once a canal port, built in the early nineteenth century to bring ships close to Carlisle, though the canal was soon overtaken by the railway and then silted up. The marshes near Burgh by Sands are where King Edward I died in 1307, on his way north to fight the Scots, and a monument on the marsh marks the spot.
The road along this coast, the B5307, is flat and quiet, with open views across the water to the hills of southern Scotland, and a feeling of space that is almost sea-like. Surfaces are generally good, with some patches, and the wind can be a serious factor, blowing in off the firth with little to stop it. Tides sometimes flood the road in places, and signs warn of danger, so heed them. Summer evenings bring a long, pink light over the marsh, and winter storms bring dramatic skies.
The villages are small, with a pub or two and few shops, so fill up before you leave. Carlisle, about twenty kilometres away, has many fuel stations and is the sensible choice, while Annan lies across the firth and is a long way round by road. Cumbrian lamb, sticky toffee pudding and a pint of local ale make a fine reward, and the Hadrian's Wall Path passes close by, so a short walk is easy to fit in.