Route: RSPB Campfield Marsh
Area: Solway Coast, Cumbria
Date of walk: 7th April 2026
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 3.6 miles
Ascent: nil
Weather: Sunny and very warm
Today’s walk brought us to the shores of the Solway Firth, one of the largest estuaries in the UK. The flat landscape consists of dunes, salt marshes and sandy beaches. This is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It’s also home to a huge variety of wildlife, some of it rare. The RSPB Campfield Marsh Nature Reserve is close to Bowness-on-Solway, and is an ideal place to spot some of the rarities and enjoy a good walk at the same time
We parked in the car park at the visitor centre, where a donation is suggested to non-RSPB members. Access to the reserve is free to everyone. There are two suggested waymarked routes, the ‘blue route’ and the longer ‘red route’. We set off along a straight track which is a public footpath, pausing every so often at the viewing areas along the way. At one of the hides, where the blue and red routes part company, we spent a thrilling hour or so watching a pair of osprey fly in and out of their nest. Even better we saw them mating. as shown in the photos below (not very good ones as we were some distance away). Further entertainment was offered by a pair of marsh harriers hunting above the marshes
We could have stayed for much longer, but it was time to get on with the walk so we continued along the red route. We came to an abrupt halt at a very boggy section. Walking boots weren’t adequate here and wellington boots are essential if you want to continue with dry feet. We retraced our steps and decided to follow the red route in the other direction, knowing that we’d have to come back the same way. We arrived at a heather clad peat bog, where a well made boardwalk provides access over the otherwise inaccessible terrain. The warm weather had attracted common lizards, several of which were basking in the sunshine on the boardwalk as we went along. The path took us closer to the osprey nest and we had more good sightings along the way
By now we’d run out of time as we planned to do another walk in the afternoon (see my next walk from nearby Bowness-on-Solway). Well content with what we’d seen, we returned to the start. It had been a wonderful visit to this special place and I look forward to our next visit
Click on the icon below for the route map (subscribers to OS Maps can view detailed maps of the route, visualise it in aerial 3D, and download the GPX file. Non-subscribers will see a base map). NOTE the route shown on the map is merely a record of our walk and is not necessarily a recommended route. It’s best to wander around wherever your interest takes you. Anyone wishing to complete the full red route is recommended to wear wellingtons. Don’t forget to bring binoculars!
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
The start of the walk from the car park beside the RSPB Campfield Marsh visitor centre
We follow the straight track from the visitor centre
Looking over the marshes from one of the viewpoints along the way
Oystercatcher with its mad red eye
A 'down' of hares, with an out of focus lapwing in the foreground
Focus on the lapwing
Further along the track
View across the marshes, and a distant heron
Zooming in on the heron
A pair of herons further along the track
The highlight of the walk as we spend an hour or so in a hide and spot a pair of ospreys, one above the nest and the other on a fence post below
A short while later, the pair begin to mate...
The courtship is suddenly interrupted...
...as a marsh harrier flies by
A pair of osprey left and a pair of marsh harriers right - it was hard to decide where to point the camera...
More marsh harrier action...
The osprey, a male I think, flies overhead...
After a fantastic hour or so of birdwatching it was time to carry on around the reserve, so we followed the red route for a while
We were aware that there would be a boggy section here and hoped that stout walking boots would be enough. They weren't, wellies are the only option so we beat a retreat
We followed the red route in the other direction, knowing that we wouldn't be able to complete the full circuit
We enter into an area of heather and peat bog...
We follow a boardwalk over the bog. The warmth radiated from the boardwalk attracts common lizards, several of which were basking in the sun...
Meadow pipit
We have a closer view of the osprey nest from this section of the walk
We head back to the start, passing by several tempting benches along the way...
At the end of the walk we visit this clay dabbin, a relatively recent reconstruction of an ancient technique which uses locally sourced materials. This rounded off a wonderful walk, full of interest every step of the way
