Skinburness: Salt Marsh, Bird Migration and Roman Heritage

Skinburness combines coastal scenery, birdwatching and Roman heritage. Skinburness Milefortlet 9 lies at the northern end of the village; natural features also include the Skinburness and Calvo Marshes and Grune Point. For planning your trip, you can distinguish between several themes: archaeological history, marshland and bird migration, or the shape of the coast. If you are looking for a hotel, you can choose how to think about Skinburness based on which of these themes you want to shape your stay.

Roman heritage at the northern end of the village

Skinburness Milefortlet 9 is a scheduled monument and part of the Roman coastal defences in Cumbria. The monument includes the buried remains of an earlier Roman camp, which lies partly beneath the milefortlet. The site therefore comprises both the milefortlet and an older structure, partly beneath it. This connection gives the Roman theme a concrete focus: as well as the frontier fortification, the history of the monument also includes the remains of the earlier camp preserved in the ground. A notice dated 23 November 2023 names Skinburness Milefortlet 9 as an archaeological site associated with the England Coast Path.

Marshland and birdwatching

The Skinburness and Calvo Marshes are used by birds that overwinter there and visit to feed. A 2010 landscape assessment describes this use and places the marsh frontage within an area designated as SPA, Ramsar, SSSI and SAC. Skinburness's salt marsh lies on the more sheltered eastern side of Grune Point. This landscape theme thus encompasses both the use of the marshes by birds and the coastal area's protected status.

Grune Point is considered a good place to watch the migration of leaf warblers and swallows. The natural features therefore offer different experiences: the marshes are used by birds that overwinter and visit to feed, while Grune Point is a place to observe migrating species. If you are particularly interested in birdwatching, you can take these different focuses into account when planning your trip.

Coastal form and traditional activity

Grune Point is a sandy beach about a mile long, lying on raised shingle. The length gives an approximate sense of the coastline's scale, while the shingle describes what the sandy beach lies on. The shape of the beach thus adds a concrete description of the landscape to the natural features.

Another local tradition is flounder or flatfish wading. Participants wade barefoot through shallow water at low tide. The low water level is an essential part of this activity and therefore distinguishes it from watching bird migration or taking an interest in the shape of the coast. If you include wading in your trip plans, pay attention to low tide, as it shapes the practice described.

More destinations

Discover more destinations: Ireby, Winton, Sedgwick, Brigham, Burneside, Dockray, Barrow-In-Furness, Crosthwaite

For the main travel overview: Cumbria.