Holiday in Solway Firth

The Solway Firth is an extremely beautiful stretch of Scottish coastline - the shifting sands and muds are home to a wealth of wildfowl. Fishermen still catch salmon with poke nets, stake nets and haaf nets today as they have done for hundreds of years. The tidal mud flats at the edge of the estuary give way to carpets of wildflowers such as thrift: it is an idyllic and peaceful part of the Scottish coast. The mud is home to shrimps, worms and shellfish - great food for wading birds such as curlew, oystercatcher and redshank who spend the winter here. The Solway Firth is one of the most popular areas in Scotland for birdwatchers - particularly in the winter when the swans, ducks and geese return. Birdwatching holiday accommodation is plentiful and you can often get bargain self catering breaks in the winter.

There are many attractive Galloway villages along the Solway Firth. Kippford is a popular destination with sailors and families so has a lot of holiday cottages to rent in the village, as does nearby Rockcliffe. Kippford and Rockcliffe are justifiably popular for holidays by the sea - the pretty beaches have sandy beaches as well as rock pools. Creetown and Dalbeatie are also popular destinations for holidays in south west Scotland and there are lots of things to do in the area.

The Annan District of Dumfries-shire includes the market town of Lockerbie, Lochmaben (with the Forest of Ae nearby) and Moffat in the north. Cycling and walking are very popular in this part of Scotland. If you are looking for self catering holiday houses in Langholm, Beattock, Eskdalemuir or Canonbie then you will find a good choice of pretty cottages to rent.