Our native Cumbria isn’t really known for any extraordinary areas of coastline, save for the St. Bees area.
However, if you were to venture just south of border beyond Arnside you’ll enter a gorgeous Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). This is Silverdale, a coastal area of salt marshes, estuaries, Morecambe Bay, and low limestone coastal hills.
Silverdale, along with the nearby Yealand settlements (Yealand Conyers, Yealand Redmayne, and Yealand Storrs), has a deep connection with the Vikings. In 2011 a metal detectorist found what became known as the Silverdale Hoard; over 200 pieces of silver coins, jewellery, ingots, and hacksilver that had been buried in a lead container from around 900AD. It remains one of the largest Vikings hoards ever discovered in the UK.
The run-off from Leighton Moss out into Morecambe Bay, cutting its winding way towards the sea.
This area of the Silverdale coast is known as Jenny Brown’s Point. It’s home to this picturesque chimney, or tower. Turns out that it’s probably the remains of an ill-advised copper mining and smelting project, set up in the late 18th century.
The name of Jenny Brown’s Point is disputed. It was possibly named after a daughter of a local farm, Jennye. Other theories include: Jenny was a lover waiting for her lost sailor to return; a nanny who saved her charges from the tide; a lodging-house keeper, or; a steam engine (or “jenny”) sent to Brown’s Point.
This is a delightful little limestone cove that leads out to the expansive sea and sands of Morecambe Bay below an area called Jack Scout. Far across Morecambe Bay in the distance is Morecambe itself and Heysham.
Looking northwards across Morecambe Bay from the limestone cove towards Grange-over-Sands and the Cumbrian coast.
The retreating sea of Morecambe Bay from up high on Jack Scout. You can even make out the Lakeland fells.
Up on the limestone crags of Jack Scout.
Looking across Morecambe Bay towards Morecambe and Heysham. It’s from this sort of vantage point that you realise how expansive Morecambe Bay really is (it is, in fact, the largest expanse of intertidal mudflats and sand in the UK, around 120 sq mi).
Another feature of Silverdale is the coastal trees, which all lean back away from the sea. This is due to the near-constant battering they get from the winds travelling across the bay and up the coast.
Young Jersey bullocks enjoying the sun and fresh grass.
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