Out on the Solway plain the land flattens, the sky gets enormous, and the sea is never far off even when you cannot see it. The stretch of the vallum near West End lies between Carlisle and the village of Burgh by Sands, on the last run of Hadrian's Wall towards its western end at Bowness-on-Solway. Here the Roman frontier ran along the edge of the marshes and the estuary, where the tide sweeps in across vast sands and salt marsh. Nothing of the Wall stands above ground in this section, but the line is clear on the map, and the country around has a strange, quiet beauty.
Burgh by Sands has a notable piece of English history. In July 1307 King Edward I, the Hammer of the Scots, died on the marsh just outside the village while leading another campaign north. A monument stands on the spot, out on the open grass, and the church in the village, built partly of stones taken from the Roman Wall, has a fortified tower that was used as a refuge during border raids.
The road west to Bowness runs along the edge of the marsh, and at high spring tides it floods; signs and depth markers warn drivers, and it is genuinely dangerous to try to cross when the water is up. Check the tide tables before riding out to the end of the Wall. Cattle and sheep graze on the marsh and wander onto the road, and the surface can be muddy or covered with seaweed after a high tide. The reward is the view across the estuary to the hills of Galloway, the wading birds in their thousands, and the light, which can be extraordinary in the evening.
The riding is flat and easy, with narrow lanes, few bends and little traffic. Wind is the main challenge, blowing in off the Solway with nothing to stop it. Rain often comes with it.
Burgh by Sands has a pub, and Bowness has a small café or two, but opening hours vary with the season. Bring something warm and waterproof, and give yourself time to stop and watch the tide; it comes in faster than you think.