West of Carlisle, Hadrian's Wall heads out across flat farmland toward the Solway Firth, and the closer you get to the estuary, the quieter it becomes. Along this stretch, the wall itself has largely gone, robbed for stone over the centuries, but the vallum, the wide ditch with its mounds that ran behind it, can still be traced in places, and the line passes the sites of Roman forts and the civilian settlements that grew up around them. At Stanwix, now a suburb on the north bank of the Eden, stood the largest fort on the whole wall, home to a cavalry regiment of a thousand men. Further west, at Burgh by Sands, another fort lies beneath the village and its fortified church, built partly with Roman stone.
It was on the marshes near Burgh, in 1307, that Edward I, the Hammer of the Scots, died while leading yet another campaign against Scotland, and a stone monument stands alone on the marsh to mark the place. Out at Bowness-on-Solway, the wall reached its western end, and the views across the firth to the hills of Dumfriesshire are wide and wild. Just across the border lies Gretna Green, famous for runaway weddings since the eighteenth century, when Scottish law let young couples marry without parental consent.
The Solway coast is a place of big skies, salt marshes and huge flocks of geese in winter, especially barnacle geese arriving from Svalbard. The riding is easy and peaceful, with narrow lanes across flat land, lined with hedges and farms, and very little traffic. The road along the marsh can flood at very high tides, so watch for warning signs. The wind is often strong, blowing straight in from the Irish Sea, and the weather can turn wet in an instant.
Carlisle, about six kilometres away, is the regional capital, with a medieval castle, a cathedral and all services, including fuel. Smaller villages along the coast have pubs that serve lunch, and a pint by a fire after a cold, windy ride is a fine reward. Try Cumberland sausage, coiled and peppery, or a plate of Morecambe Bay shrimps if you see them on a menu.