Carlisle to Bowness on Solway

We spent the morning in Carlisle to investigate the castle and have a look through the museum across the road. The castle was the prison of Mary Queen of Scots for a while before Elizabeth ordered her head to be lopped off. The dungeon was particularly dark and gloomy and supposedly has the impressions in the walls made from prisoners who were licking the walls to get moisture. I ran my hands over the wall but couldn't feel anything, let alone see anything in the gloom.
It was incredibly cold. INCREDIBLY COLD!! Even with my waterproofs on I was still shivering.
The weather forecast was for torrential rain, and the sky certainly looked threatening. We made an executive decision to bus it to Bowness on Solway, about 15 - 20 minutes away. To walk, it would be around 22 km and along the road for some part, then through marshy, boggy marshes or continue along the road. There wouldn't be much to look at so it was agreed, the bus would be the way to go today.
So a very, very easy day. When we arrived, it was bitterly cold and the rain started shortly after. We sat in the pub for a while, met up with some other walkers, a few finishing and some starting. One woman said she was starting out today but had no plans on where to stay or how far she would be walking. She seemed quite unprepared and I marvelled at her bravery to be walking solo. We didn't see too many solo walkers, mostly groups or at least two.
We are staying at Wallsend, in The Rectory. It is quite nice and has a collection of animals - three border collies and two indoor cats. One is keeping me company at the moment by sitting on the armrest after a brief battle for the chair. I won. :)
Tomorrow we are taking a taxi to Carlisle train station to head back to London.  No change anywhere, straight through!
We have a few days in London before sister #1 and her other half head off to the Cotswolds for their final walking holiday, and I scoot off to Exeter on my Devon/ Cornwall adventures.