I thought Foulney Island was going to be a bit boring, as it is very flat and is composed entirely of pebbles from the Lake District, which were deposited by glaciers during the last Ice Age. However on a sunny summer day it was a very pleasant walk.
There are lots of wildflowers on the island, including meadow saxifrage, yellow horned poppy, sea campion, birds foot trefoil, sea kale, viper's bugloss, sea lavender and thrift. Some of these were still in flower when I visited in late August 2011. The island is important as a breeding place for Arctic and little terns in the spring. Ringed plovers, oystercatchers, eider ducks, skylarks and meadow pipits also breed on the island. Slitch Ridge is closed during the birds' breeding season. The mudflats are crowded with wading birds in the autumn and winter, e.g. dunlin, knot and curlews. The island is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
The island has been leased and managed as a nature reserve by the Cumbria Wildlife Trust since 1974. It is tidal, although the causeway is only covered for a couple of hours around high tide.
Foulney Island has been connected to the Roa Island Causeway by a stone causeway since the 19th century. The causeway was built to prevent the Walney Channel from silting up. It isn't very clear anymore where the real island starts. The island has an area of 17.5 hectares. There is a small car park a third of the way along the causeway from Rampside to Roa Island.
Rampside Salt Marsh
- this has developed over the last 100 years as a result of the building of the causeway.
The tower says AGA on it but I'm not sure what sort of cooking you can do with it! According to a warden I spoke to it is a navigation light. The shed beyond it is derelict.
Looking towards Rampside
Roa Island from Foulney
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| The Causeway The causeway isn't in the best state of repair in places. |
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