Southerness – Lighthouse, Rock Pools and Seafood by the Solway
A few hours.
The route
Southerness sits on a point where the Solway Firth opens out wide, with an old white lighthouse on the rocks and sand running away on either side.
Wander the rock pools and the beach while the tide is out, then drive up the coast to the Steamboat Inn in Carsethorn for seafood and a window on the firth.
Before you go
Book the Steamboat Inn, Carsethorn
Book a table at the Steamboat Inn online or on 01387 880 631 for about 12.30pm: food is served every day from noon, and in quiet spells the inn may close early, so ring ahead in the winter months.
The day
Southerness
A morning of sea air on the Solway, with a lighthouse, rock pools and a long walk on the sand. Lunch is at a shore inn a few minutes up the coast, looking back across the water you've just walked beside.
About three hoursAbout 2 miles on foot
Southerness Lighthouse
An attraction
Southerness is the little village on the point, off the A710. There's free parking there, a short walk from the lighthouse. The public toilets open 7am to 8pm from April to September, and 8am to 5pm from October to March. The lighthouse stands on the rocks at the water's edge, a tall, square white tower put up in 1749 and said to be the second-oldest in Scotland. It's seen from the outside only. Beaches run off either side of the point. At low tide the rock pools and the flats open up, and the sand stretches away east round Gillifoot Bay. Walk as far as you like and back, with the hills of the Lake District across the water on a clear day. Check the tide times for Southerness before you go: the Solway comes in fast over the flats, so head back up the beach as soon as it turns. Dogs are welcome on the beach all year.
9 min by car
The Steamboat Inn, Carsethorn
Lunch
Then it's 9 minutes' drive north to Carsethorn and the Steamboat Inn, right on the shore at the mouth of the Nith, for lunch looking out over the firth. It serves fresh seafood and has a children's menu, and well-behaved dogs are welcome in the bar and the beer garden. Food is served Monday to Friday from noon to 3pm and from 5pm to 8pm, and at weekends from noon to 8pm. It may close early in quiet spells, so book on 01387 880 631 and ring ahead in winter.
If it rains
On a wet or wild day, look at the lighthouse from the parking at the point and go on to the Steamboat Inn early: its windows look straight out over the firth.
Worth a detour
- Sweetheart Abbey
The A710 north from Carsethorn runs through New Abbey, where the red sandstone walls of Sweetheart Abbey stand beside a large free public car park. Lady Devorgilla founded it in the 13th century in memory of her husband, John Balliol. Its great church walls rise right beside the car park. From April to September the abbey opens Sunday to Thursday, 10am to 4.30pm; in October it opens on Fridays and Saturdays only, and from November to March it is shut. Stopping adds about 3 minutes to the drive north.
Where to eat
The Steamboat Inn, Carsethorn, a restaurant in Carsethorn.