Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day.... Not seen one of these for such a long time we can't quite believe it!
Rockcliffe is a small, coastal, tourist village in Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland. It has views of Rough Island, Hestan Island, the Solway Firth and sometimes the Lake District - depending on the weather! There are very few facilities here but there is often an ice cream van parked at the shore! At high tide the sea is often quite close to the road (in the recent storms the water was actually over the road!) but at low tide, when the water goes a long way out, there is a lovely sandy beach .
Much of the area, including Rough Island, is owned by the National Trust for Scotland. They organise guided walks across the mud to visit the island in the summer, after birds who use the island for breeding have left. The climb to the top of the island takes you up to a giddy height of 24 metres! There is also a site of a 5th Century fort, called the Mote of Mark just beyond the shore. The "muckle" walk is a popular walk that takes you up the hill and on a good day the view from the top is stunning as you look over the estuary. There are numerous walks in the area, including a popular one that takes you to the next village along the coast. Wild flower meadows are beautiful in the summer with many insects to be seen. The wooded area provides food and shelter for many birds and also red squirrels.
Unfortunately the ice cream van was missing today so had to just walk for the fun of it!
Because of the mild, wet weather recently the moss on the walls and rocks was lush, green and vibrant.
The trees for the most part were still bare but winter berries and lichens were abundant. Not to sound too gloomy there were some signs of Spring as well!
There is somewhere to wander for all ages and abilities at Rockcliffe and is very popular with locals as well as the tourists.
We had a lovely wander in lovely weather in a lovely place.
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