Solway Firth

Cairt o the Solway Firth

The estuarie o the River Nith, apenin intil the Solway Firth sooth o Dumfries

The Solway Firth (Scots Gaelic: Linne Salmhaigh; auncientlie Scottis Wath) is a firth that furms pairt o the mairch atwein Scotland (til the north) an Ingland (til the sooth). On the northren syd is the cooncil aurie o Dumfries an Gallowa an on the soothren syd is the coontie o Cumbria. The firth is pairt o the Erse Sie; the mairch atwein thaim rinnin frae the Mull o Gallowa in Scotland til St Bees Heid in Ingland. The Isle o Man ligs juist ootwith the firth.

The Solway Coast wis braundit an Aurie o Ootstaunin Naitural Bewtie in 1964. Thar is ower 750 km² o Steids o Speicial Syentific Interest in the aurie, as weil as naitional naitur hainins at Caerlaverock an in Cumbria.

The coastlyn is maistlins laich-lyin hills an muntains. It is maistlins a landwart aurie wi fishin an hill fermin (as weil as sum arabil fermin) yit haein a mukkil pairt in the local economie. Tourism is eikin anaw. Touns on or naur the Scots syd o the firth include Dumfries, Kirkcoubrie, Annan, Gretna an Newtoun Stewart. Touns on or naur the Inglis syd include Carlisle, Maryport, Workington an Whitehaven. Unlyk ither pairts o Scotland's wast coast, thar is no monie ilands in the Solway Firth. Hestan Iland, Roch Iland an the Ilands o Fleet ar the anerlie merkit byspels.

Historie

The name Solway is o Auld Inglis springheid. It wis first broukit in the thritteent centurie as the name o a fuird athort the clart-plats at Eskmooth. Sol is a wird for clart an wæth refers til a fuird. The thrie fuirds in the aurie at thon tym war the Annan or Bowness Wath, the Dornock Wath (anss cried the Sandywath), an the main ane wis the Solewath.

Atwein 1869 an 1921, the firth wis crosst bi the Solway Junction Railwey on a 1780 m (5850 ft) airn viaduct. The lyn wis biggit ti cairrie airn ore frae the Whitehaven aurie til Lanrikshire an wis pay'd-for an run bi the Caledonian Railwey o Scotland. Houaniver, the railwey did nae thrive financialie. Eftir the railwey stappit operatin, the brig becam a popular fitpad for dwallers o Scotland (whaur alcohol wis bannit on a Sunday) ti traivil til Ingland whaur thay cud drink. The viaduct wis demolisht atwein 1931 an 1933.

Steids on the firth's shore (in parteicular Kirkcoubrie) war broukit for the filmin o the weil-kent 1973 pictur The Wicker Man.

The Meinistrie o Defenss haes a militar trainin an testin aurie on the coast naur Kirkoubrie. In 2008 thar wis cark whan it wis kytht that ower 6,000 depleted uranium roonds haed been fyr'd thar sin 1982 an that the yird haed becum ower-smitten.

Atwein 2007 an 2010, Scotland's first afshore wind ferm (the Robin Rigg Wind Ferm) wis biggit in the firth.

Referenses

• Edgar, S. and Sinton, J.M., (1990), The Solway Junction Railway, Locomotion Papers No. 176, The Oakwood Press, ISBN 0-85361-395-8
• Neilsen, George (1899). "Annals of Solway — Until A.D. 1307". In Forbes, Peter (ed.). Transactions of the Glasgow Archaeological Society. New Series. III. Glasgow: James Maclehose & Sons. pp. 245–308. (available at books.google.com)
• Ordnance Survey, (2003), Carlisle & Solway Firth, Landranger Map, No. 85, Ed. D, Scale 1:50 000 (1¼ inches to 1 mile), ISBN 0-319-22822-3
• Ordnance Survey, (2006), Solway Firth, Explorer Map, No. 314 , Ed. A2, Scale 1:25 000 (2½ inches to 1 mile), ISBN 0-319-23839-3