The tide turns the Solway Firth into an enormous, shifting plain of sand and water, and the Roman fort at Kirkbride stood at the edge of it. Here, at the western limit of the frontier in the lower Eden valley, the Romans built a fort to guard the crossing of the estuary, and the earthworks show a rectangular platform in a field by the village. The fort belonged to the Wall system, which continued along the coast, and the first thing a visitor realises is how big the view is. On a clear day you can see the Scottish hills across the water, and the ridges of Criffel and Burnswark, and the line of the shore bending away to the west.
Not far away, at Burgh by Sands, the English king Edward I died in 1307 on his way to fight Robert the Bruce, and a monument stands on the marsh where it happened. The village church has a fortified tower, built to shelter the villagers from Scottish raiders, which gives a sense of the long border history. Anthorn, on the south shore of the estuary, is home to a radio station whose tall masts transmit the time signal that sets many of Britain's radio-controlled clocks. It is a strange and appealing sight on a flat shore.
The nature is the best part. The saltmarsh is grazed by sheep, and the creeks are thick with waders, while barnacle geese, pink-footed geese and swans winter in the thousands. Sunsets here are spectacular, and the sky seems to go on forever. Wind from the west brings a strong smell of mud and salt.
For a rider the roads are flat and straight, with sharp turns round the farms and a certain amount of mud. Traffic is light, but tractors are common, and care is needed at the flooded sections, where the high tide can cover the road. Check tide times if you are near the estuary. Fuel is available in Wigton, Annan, or the nearest larger villages, so fill up beforehand. The best time is autumn, for the geese, or early summer for the long light.