More from the South West

The Solway Coast is nothing if not varied.  The local proverb is that the tide comes in "with the speed of a galloping horse", and it's certainly true that you need to take great care if you are out on the sands.
Inevitably there have been many stranded ships, and occasionally you can come across the remains.
This one is the "Monreith", wrecked in Kirkcudbright Bay in November 1900 whilst carrying a cargo of stone.

The foreground rocks are typical of the coastal formations of the area.

Further west are the "Fleet Islands", not really true islands, as they are accessible on foot (or more usually these days by tractor.  This one is Ardwall Island.  It was the site of a very early Christian settlement. The visible ruin of the house is much later.  At that time it was almost certainly a true island, and it fits the pattern of Celtic Christianity settlements.  The site was carefully excavated in the 1960's.  There is a similar pattern of building at Abercorn, and that settlement is confidently dated to about 650 C.E.  Ardwall is almost certainly earlier, fitting as it does geographically in the spread of Christianity into Scotland from Ireland, and the settlement may go as far back as 400 C.E.  The full report, in the "Journal of Medieval Archaeology" was written by Prof. Charles Thomas, and is well worth following up.  (http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-769-1/ahds/dissemination/pdf/vol11/11_127_188.pdf)

Almost certainly contemporary with the Ardwall settlement is the "Mote of Mark", a defended hilltop fort overlooking the Urr estuary. It lies between Kippford and Rockcliffe (both picturesque villages, though more so at high tide than low tide.  There's an excellent short circular walk between the two that takes in the hill top, and the view is interesting at all states of the tide!

The main island is called "Rough Island", and the distant one, behind the peninsula is Hestan Island.  Rough Island is now a bird sanctuary.