This is the peaceful view from Cardoness Chapel which is tucked away amongst sessile oaks on the tidal Fleet estuary on the Solway. It was built in the late 18th century by the laird of Cardoness for his wife as a place of prayer and quiet contemplation. The chapel is one of the smallest in Scotland. It is never locked and when the tide is in you can sea kayak right up to the lovely sandy cove at its feet. At low water springs the tide retreats almost 3 kilometers over the Solway sands.
I will be talking about Fleet Bay in a future podcast on Simon Willis's site. The Solway is a much neglected part of Scotland's coastline but it is full of surprises. At the moment it is coming up to the end of University term and at the hospital lots of people are wanting to be seen before Christmas. In a word, my life is frantic at this time of year. I find the view from the Chapel window helps to restore tranquility.
