Solway Firth, Scotland

In case you are wondering, a firth is an inlet of the sea with an estuary. A wild and windswept landscape on the southwest coast of Scotland, Solway Firth is a great place for beach combing and birding.

We stayed at the Queensberry Bay Leisure Park, which is a campsite that also has many small vacation homes. In the summer, I'm sure it's a busy place. We camped here in early November when the weather was quite chilly but no rain.

When the tide was out, we enjoyed exploring the huge beach. Brian and I came upon the remains of a swimming pool from the early days of the leisure park. Bathers would enjoy the sea water after the pool filled at high tide. I expect it wasn't very warm though.

Looking across Solway Firth to the north, we could see the mountains of England's Lake District. We also observed many birds including a flock of Barnacle geese, a first for us.

Tiny shells in the rippled sand, the contents of which probably fed sandpiper-type birds. We saw these at a distance, much too far away to get a good enough look at to identify, not even with binoculars.

I was grateful for my windbreaker raincoat, which I am wearing in so many photos. But with layers underneath, it kept me warm and dry for long walks on the beach. After spending the day in the chilly outdoors, one evening Brian and I ate dinner at the Powfoot Hotel's restaurant/pub located near the entrance to the campsite. Nothing like drinking cold Danish beer after walking a wild beach in Scotland.