There are also large areas of different kinds of sea grasses and reed beds which can be very difficult to walk through. These areas are so dense it is difficult to see the ground for foot placement. As well, the grasses and reeds catch at your ankles as you walk, carrying the risk of falling, which you do not want to do with a fourteen kilogram rucksack on your back.
Bearing all this in mind, we chose to take a route today which avoided the early muddy estuary and salt marshes between Gretna and Browhouses. The preferred route took the quiet back roads coming out from south of the town before dropping down to the shore later on at Browhouses.
All along the waterline there were flocks of different kinds of waders feeding at the water's edge. Towards the back of the beach large flocks of Oystercatchers sat roosting, feathers puffed up to offer protection against the cool sea breeze. In the field behind the shoreline we could hear the call of the Peewit and were treated to the occasion aerial display. On the land we walked in subdued light under a cloud, but over the Rivers Esk and Eden light silver and blue colours dominated offering a degree of lightness to the day.
There have been days when we have gone out and walked through for fourteen - fifteen miles and never stopped to enjoy the moment. It is so easy to carry with you the urgency that you have become used to in your daily life and to forget just to sit in the moment and enjoy the peace and quiet, the light and shade of another pace of life, to feed the soul as well as the body.
Back on the shoreline there was a path of sorts but it was a hard slog over shingle and pebbles. Our run of good weather continued today, albeit with a cold wind blowing into our faces. The light over the river and the large expanse of flats was sublime with a lovely ethereal element to it. With the sun quickly lowering in the sky, the diamond gleam of the waters were highlighted and, with the Cumbrian Mountains as the backdrop in the far distance. it quite breathtaking at times. Despite the hard walking it was a relatively quick section and in no time we arrived at Powfoot where we were staying the night.