danger!

Today I was nearer to England than I have been for over a year. From where Fiona and I were standing, we could see the Cumbrian coast just over a mile away. If we had been here 100 years ago, we would have been able to cross over on the Solway Viaduct, but today we just stood at the end of the dismantled railway and gazed over an uninviting expanse of mud.

We were on a walk with Jess from Annan, down the old railway line and across the merse, where we sat on a wooden bench and ate our packed lunches (see extras). The merse was riddled with muddy channels which we had to find a way across (Jess just leapt over them) but we made it safely to Waterfoot, at the mouth of the River Annan, where Robert Burns had worked as an excise officer at the end of the 18th century. Ships used to leave here for all over the world, but today it is just the province of a few hardy dog walkers.

Today's walk: Annan, old railway, Waterfoot and the harbour. 5.75 miles