The Solway Firth is a firth that forms part of the border between England and Scotland, between Cumbria and Dumfries and Galloway. It stretches from St Bees Head, just south of Whitehaven in Cumbria, to the Mull of Galloway, on the western end of Dumfries and Galloway. The Isle of Man is also very near to the firth. The firth comprises part of the Irish Sea. The coastline is characterised by lowland hills and small mountains and is widely regarded as some of the most scenic lowland coastline in the British Isles. It is a mainly rural area with fishing and hill farming (as well as some arable farming) still playing a large part in the local economy, although tourism is increasing. However, it has also been used for the location of films such as The Wicker Man (starring Edward Woodward) which was filmed around Kirkcudbright. Between 1869 and 1921, the estuary was crossed by the Solway Junction Railway on a 1780 m (5850 ft) iron viaduct (Edgar and Sinton, 1990). The line was built to carry iron ore from the Whitehaven area to Lanarkshire and was financed and operated by the Caledonian Railway of Scotland. The railway was not a financial success. After the railway ceased operating, the bridge provided a popular footpath for residents of Scotland (which was dry on a Sunday) to travel to England where alcoholic drink was available. The viaduct was demolished between 1931 and 1933.
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Wildlife
The water itself is generally benign with no notable hazards excepting some large areas of salt and mud flats which often contain dangerous patches of quicksand that move on a regular basis. It is recommended that visitors do not attempt to navigate them without expert guidance. Also, the Ministry of Defence had by 1999 fired more than 6,350 depleted uranium rounds into the Solway Firth from its testing range at Dundrennan Range (see http://www.sundayherald.com/40306). The adjacent Irish Sea is another source of radioactive pollution, and Sellafield is nearby. There are over 750 km² of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in the area, as well as the National Nature Reserve at Caerlaverock.
'The Solway Firth Spaceman'
On 23 May 1964, Jim Templeton, a fireman from Carlisle took his daughter to the marshes to take some photographs. Nothing untoward happened except Templeton recalls there was an unusual aura in the atmosphere that even the cows were upset by. Several days later Templeton received his processed photographs, however he was puzzled. There had been no other people nearby he claims yet in one of the photographs standing behind his daughter was a figure in a silvery white space suit standing at an irregular angle. "I took the photograph on Burgh Marsh on May 23, 1964. I took three pictures of my daughter Elizabeth in a similar pose - and was shocked when the middle picture came back from Kodak displaying what looks like a spaceman in the background." The case came to worldwide paranormal researchers attention. It was also reported to the police and Kodak who offered free film for life to anyone who could solve the mystery when their experts failed. It has been verified that the photograph is not a simple double exposure with one negative printed on top of another during processing as many skeptics have claimed. A few weeks later, Templeton received two mysterious visitors. He had not heard of MIBs: the subject was almost unknown in Britain then. They wore black suits and drove Templeton to the location of the photograph in a black Jaguar he recalls. They wanted to know in minute detail about the weather on the day, activities of wildlife and such. They then tried to convince Templeton that a man had simply passed by as he took the picture. He rejected their idea and they became irrationally angry and sped off leaving Jim Templeton to hike 5 miles home.[1][2][3]
Islands in the Solway
Unlike other parts of the west coast of Scotland, the Solway Firth is generally devoid of islands. However there are a few examples:
The Isle of Whithorn is actually a peninsula. The Isle of Man, is also not far from the Solway. Most of the islands on this section of the English coast are much further south in the Furness group, which is outside the Firth.
References
- Edgar, S. and Sinton, J.M., (1990), The Solway Junction Railway, Locomotion Papers No. 176, The Oakwood Press, ISBN 0-85361-395-8
- Ordnance Survey, (2003), Carlisle & Solway Firth, Landranger Map, No. 85, Ed. D, Scale 1:50 000 (1¼ inches to 1 mile), ISBN 0-31922-822-3
- Ordnance Survey, (2006), Solway Firth, Explorer Map, No. 314 , Ed. A2, Scale 1:25 000 (2½ inches to 1 mile), ISBN 0-31923-839-3
- ^ http://www.ufoevidence.org/cases/case385.htm
- ^ http://www.greetingsearthlings.net/the-solway-firth-spaceman/
- ^ Source: 'The Complete Book Of UFOs' by Peter Hough page 156-7 ISBN 0-7499-1399-1
