Hadrian's Wall did not simply stop at the edge of the Solway. Beyond its western end at Bowness, the Romans continued the frontier down the Cumbrian coast with a chain of milefortlets and towers, and in places with ditches and palisades, to watch over the shoreline and guard against raids across the firth from what is now south west Scotland. The palisade ditches near Silloth are part of that coastal system, faint traces in the flat land behind the dunes, and they are a reminder that the Roman frontier was a complex network that stretched far beyond the famous stone wall.
The Solway coast is a strange and beautiful place, with wide, shallow sands, salt marshes and dunes, and huge skies over the water. Across the firth rises the dark bulk of Criffel in Scotland, and on clear evenings the sunsets here are spectacular, with the sea turning gold and pink. The area is a protected landscape, rich in birdlife, including vast flocks of geese in winter, and it is one of the few places in Britain where the rare natterjack toad still breeds, its loud rasping call carrying across the dunes on spring nights.
Silloth itself is a Victorian port and seaside town, built in the nineteenth century when the railway arrived, with a grid of wide streets, a long green along the seafront, and a working dock. It has a slightly faded charm, with cafes, chip shops and a few pubs, and it is a pleasant place to stop for a break. It has the basics for a town of its size, and Wigton and Aspatria are inland options if you need more.
The riding along the Solway is gentle and flat, with quiet roads winding through farmland and along the coast. The coast road north from Silloth to Bowness and on towards Carlisle passes through small villages and marshes, with views across the firth and the occasional flooded section at very high tides, so check tide times before setting off. The wind can be fierce, coming straight in off the sea. For a more dramatic ride, head south towards the Lake District, whose fells rise on the horizon and offer some of the best riding in England.