Additional information
Terrain
- Country lanes, farm tracks, boggy paths and boardwalk
Landscape
- Pastures, salt marsh, riverside and hills
Dog friendliness
- Keep on lead while on reserve
Parking
- Car park at Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust Reserve
Toilets en route
- At Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust Reserve
About the walk
Against the impressive backdrop of Criffel, guarded by the wide waters of the Solway Firth, the salt marshes and the impressive medieval castle of Caerlaverock, this out-of-the-way corner of Scotland is a haven for wildlife and a treasure trove of history. A Castle Under Siege Caerlaverock, the... Castle of the Lark, was once the main gatekeeper to southwest Scotland. Protected by mudflats and the shifting channels of the sea, it was vulnerable only from the landward side. During the Scottish Wars of Independence (1286-1370) it was attacked frequently. From the siege of Caerlaverock by Edward I in 1300 through to the 17th century it was continually besieged, levelled and rebuilt. Its garrison last surrendered in 1640. Partially demolished, it crumbled to an ivy-covered ruin until restoration in the mid-20th century. Within the ruined walls of this triangular fortress, conservators continue their work on one of the finest Renaissance residences in Scotland. Preserving the Balance Conservation work of a different kind takes place on the merse (salt marsh) that bounds the Solway coast. Here Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) and the Caerlaverock Estate work at preserving the delicate balance that allows farming and wildfowling to exist alongside a National Nature Reserve. The desolate open spaces, unchanged for centuries, echo to the cry of the wild geese in winter, the oystercatcher and heron in summer and the mating chorus of the natterjack toad in spring. But it wasn't always so. Wildfowling had seriously reduced the goose population to a few hundred in 1957, when the local landowner, the Duke of Norfolk, agreed to divide the merse into an area for controlled shooting and a wildlife sanctuary, now the National Nature Reserve. This is also one of the last places in Britain where scientists can study the important natural processes of growth and erosion of salt marshes. Sir Peter Scott In 1970 the Duke offered the naturalist, Sir Peter Scott, the least of Eastpark Farm for the WWT. Here, every October, the Spitsbergen population of barnacle geese fly in from Norway to their winter quarters along the merse. The birds can be seen from specially constructed hides along roads shielded with high hedges to minimise disturbance to wildlife. Whooper swans overwinter here too, along with the pink-footed goose, pintail, scaup, oystercatcher, knot, bar-tailed godwit, curlew and redshank. Staff at Eastpark organise a variety of events to help visitors appreciate the reserve, including birding, natterjack toad and bat spotting, and pond dipping. As part of the conservation process, wildfowling is permitted in winter. Barnacle geese are protected but other species are fair game. The wildfowlers are experts at recognition and SNH wardens ensure fair play.
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