Solway Firth info please

[Fascadale]

I’m thinking of undertaking an intrepid voyage eastwards up the Scottish side of the Solway Firth in my 11ft sailing dinghy. About 70 nms, good tides, reasonable winds, four days maybe. A bit of camping and some BnBing perhaps

Where would be the best most westerly place to launch and the best easterly place to recover the boat? How far up towards Carlisle can I get?

On Google Earth I have seen what looks to be an old slip behind a largish industrial building in Newbie by Annan. Any info on this?

Thanks

(If a dinghy “dries out” on sinking sand will it float?)

 

[AngusMcDoon]

I expect that you could launch in Drummore, Isle of Whithorn, Garlieston, Kirkcudbright - depends on how far you want to sail.

Your boat won't sink in quicksand.

 

[voyager35]

you can get to Annan quite easily but the tide is very fast and the channels north of Silloth are not marked
There is a harbour association of some sort for Annan i have only spoken to them when on the water but i guess there will be some contact details online

 

[JumbleDuck]

I expect that you could launch in Drummore, Isle of Whithorn, Garlieston, Kirkcudbright - depends on how far you want to sail.

Also at Kippford or over the sands at Rockcliffe on the Dee. Not much scope for launching on the Nith, but the Nithraiders all launch at Carsethorn before heading up to Dumfries, where they are craned out..

The Annan Harbour Action Group (https://annanharbouractiongroup.btck.co.uk/) is working hard to revive the port there. As with Dumfries and the Nith, the old navigation trust had died out with its trustees, which raises all sorts of legal issues. However, Annan has been dredged and has a good working slipway, though there is only water for the top half of the tide.

The Nith and Annan entrances are buoyed by their respective groups. Annan has a thriving coastal rowing group, contact through AHAG, who probably know the place better than anyone.

Nothing east of Annan is currently charted, or has been since 1902. However, the National Library of Scotland will sell you a copy of the 1844 Solway chart (https://maps.nls.uk/view/101947907) which goes all the way up to Carlisle. In those days there was a canal from Fisher's Cross (Port Carlisle) to the city, which later became the Port Carlisle railway, so nobody would have used the river to get there, and Google Earth shows several nasty looking shallows/rapids.

However, the chart does show a few possibilities:

Of these, Sarkfoot (the Sark Burn through Gretna is the Scotland-England border) looks useless now

and I think "Garristown" is where the Metal Bridge Inn is. Looks a bit shallow, and I suspect that the rail, road and motorway bridges will be a problem

However, what is shown as "P(ort?) Stormont" on the chart, due south of Gretna, looks like a definite possibility. Nine boats there, I think.

Update: a couple of pictures found by searching for "Port Stormont":

and a walk from Gretna to Sarkfoot, Port Stormont and back is at https://info.dumgal.gov.uk/CorePathMaps/Walking/Sarkfoot.pdf


I don't know the English side well, but there does seem to be a slipway just east of Port Carlisle:

Sorry, that's been a bit of a ramble. OP, it looks to me as if there are plenty of possibilities as far as Stormont/Gretna. If you decide to do it, I'd be very happy to have your trailer (I'm about 10 miles from Kippford) if you need somewhere secure for it.

 

[steve yates]

Can also launch in maryport & silloth, if you want to start from the english side.

 

[[448]]

If you want to start from Isle of Whithorn, I can store your trailer within a few yards of the slipway. Access to slipway about 3 hours before to 3 hours after HW.

Given decent weather, could be a pleasurable trip!

 

[JumbleDuck]

I expect that you could launch in Drummore, Isle of Whithorn, Garlieston, Kirkcudbright - depends on how far you want to sail.

I was in Wigtown today - not sailing - and a walk to the harbour reminded me that there is a slip there. It ends with a sheer drop into the river, so probably only practical for the top hour or two of the tide, but looks fine for a dinghy launch.

 

[Fascadale]

Many thanks for all your very useful suggestions. All I need to do is complete the work on the Mk 1 Gull and then find the weather window. A completely different sort of sailing adventure. Looking forward to it

 

[Fascadale]

And thanks for the offers to store the trailer

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

I expect that you could launch in Drummore, Isle of Whithorn, Garlieston, Kirkcudbright - depends on how far you want to sail.

Your boat won't sink in quicksand.

But don't step out.....

 

[rotrax]

Watch out for blokes with Haafnets-they stand up to their chests in the flooding tide with a sodding great net spotting Salmon coming up with the tide. They place the net in front of them and scoop them out.

A motorbike racing chum of mine lived at Dornockbrow by Annan. I saw a Haafnetter scoop two out in quick succession in 1985, from his lounge window. His property had haafnetting rights, but he never used them. He had lived there for years and had never seen one caught!

I understand it can be a wild and dangerous place. Before Peter Scott took up conservation he was an enthusiastic wildfowler. The Solway Firth in winter was a favourite spot. IIRC, it is where his early experiments with rocket netting of wild geese took place, so they could be captured and ringed without harm.

Have a great trip.

 

[Simononsolway]

I just found this thread and was wondering if the Solway Trip ever happened? I live on the English side (between Maryport and Workington) and have often considered exploring the upper reaches of the Solway in my Corribee. I love the idea of sailing into "uncharted waters". There can't be many places where that is even possible these days. Please let us know how you got on.

 

[steve yates]

Is it a bilge keeler simon? I always intednded to take my lift keel bradwell 18 up as far towards carlisle as I could reach from maryport, but never got round to it before I took her south.