The best road cycling routes around Holme Abbey

Allonby Beach is a vast sand and shingle beach on the Solway Firth, known for its panoramic views, shallow tidal pools, and rich birdlife. Located along the B5300, the beach is a popular stop on the Solway Coast Cycleway. Historically, Allonby was a fishing village with Quaker influences, evident in buildings like the Reading Rooms and North Lodge. Today, the beach is popular with walkers, kitesurfers, and heritage seekers, with views across to southern Scotland and, on a clear day, the Isle of Man. It is part of the Solway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and borders the environmentally protected Allonby Bay.

The Solway Coast Cycleway winds along the Solway Firth coast between Maryport and Carlisle, and is one of the most accessible and visually appealing sections of Hadrian's Cycleway. The route largely follows the B5300 and offers panoramic views across the Irish Sea, with views of southern Scotland and the Isle of Man on a clear day.

Hadrian’s Cycleway Route has some quite challenging hill climbs but the views and historical sites well worth the effort

Gravelly pump track in the trees beside Silloth Green. Very dusty in the dry so great for dramatic skids.

Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Open Wednesday through Sunday, with lunch and dinner service (e.g., Fridays: 12:00–2:00 PM & 5:30–8:00 PM). The Joiners Arms is housed in a historic stone building with low rooflines, thick walls, and an asymmetrical facade typical of Northern English rural architecture. The original structure exudes the atmosphere of an 18th- or early 19th-century inn, with exposed wooden beams, fireplaces, and an informal layout that invites people to socialize.

St. John's Church in Newton Arlosh, officially known as St. John the Evangelist's Church, is a rare example of a fortified church in Northwest England. It was built in 1303 by the monks of Holmcultram Abbey in response to the unsettled border situation with Scotland. Built of red sandstone and cobblestones, it features a massive west tower with arrow slits and a vaulted ground floor. The tower has a narrow entrance, a stone spiral staircase, and a hearth room, possibly used as a waiting room or priest's quarters. Newton Arlosh was founded after nearby Skinburness was destroyed by the sea; the monks built a new settlement and church there. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century, the church fell into disrepair and remained a ruin for over 250 years. In 1844 and again in 1894, the building was repaired and extended, with the chancel being placed perpendicular to the nave. Today it is a working Anglican parish church within the Diocese of Carlisle.

🏛️ Holmcultram Abbey, located in Abbeytown, is a former Cistercian abbey founded in 1150 by monks from Melrose Abbey in Scotland. The abbey grew to be one of the wealthiest and most influential religious institutions in Northwest England, thanks in part to its expertise in land reclamation, wool production, and salt mining. In the 13th and 14th centuries, it was repeatedly plundered by Scottish raids, including a major attack by Robert the Bruce in 1319. It was dissolved in 1538 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, but the church remained as a parish church. Built of red sandstone, possibly from Scotland or St Bees, it retains medieval features such as carved arches and an impressive west entrance. Tearoom in the adjacent Abbey Cottages.

✈️ On Silloth Green, directly opposite the RAFA Club on Petteril Street, stands an impressive replica model of a Lockheed Hudson Bomber. This aircraft was unveiled on April 1, 2018, to mark the 100th anniversary of the Royal Air Force and as a tribute to Silloth's role during the Second World War. Constructed of steel and later reinforced with fibreglass (GRP) to withstand the harsh maritime environment, the model is painted in the colors of No. 1 OTU Squadron, which operated from RAF Silloth. The Lockheed Hudson was an American light bomber used for coastal reconnaissance. Due to the high number of crashes in the Solway Firth, the area became known locally as "Hudson Bay."