Location and transport Walney lies off the southwest coast of
Cumbria in the Irish Sea. It is long from north to south, but never more than wide from east to west, with
spits at either end. The channel separating it from the
Great Britain mainland is also narrow, and named Walney Channel. The northern portion of the channel opens into the
Duddon Estuary and is both narrower and shallower; at low tide, it is passable on foot, with stepping stones known locally as 'Widow's Crossing' assisting pedestrians. The southern half of the channel is wider and is regularly dredged to allow shipping to access the
Port of Barrow. This half opens into
Morecambe Bay and includes
a number of small islands, of which
Barrow Island,
Roa and
Piel are inhabited. North of Earnsie Point are secluded beaches, backed by dunes, which tend to be used by naturists.
Jubilee Bridge, a
bascule bridge, has connected Walney to the mainland since 1908. The bridge forms part of the
A590, which runs between Walney's western coast and the
M6 Motorway. A second bridge over Walney Channel is sometimes mooted, in order to improve access and relieve traffic, though there has never been any significant attempt to provide one. The nearest railway station to Walney is
Barrow-in-Furness. No long distance bus services are provided, and all services from the island are provided by
Stagecoach and terminate in Barrow. Walney Island has a small airport (
Barrow/Walney Island Airport), privately owned by
BAE Systems. It opened in 1935 and was initially used for military purposes during
World War II, before Barrow council purchased the airfield. It was purchased by
Vickers in 1968 and has remained with the company's successors ever since. There have been a few attempts at scheduled passenger services –
Air Ecosse, Air Furness and Telair have all operated flights from the island – but none has lasted longer than two years.
Settlements The main settlement on Walney,
Vickerstown, is effectively a continuation of Barrow-in-Furness, lying on the Barrow-facing east coast at the island's centre, clustered around the Jubilee Bridge. The first parts of Vickerstown were constructed in the 1890s as a workers' community for Vickers Shipyard,
North Scale lies near to and to the north of Vickerstown on Walney's east coast, and consists mainly of suburban homes.
Biggar is the more isolated of the two villages, located around to the south of Vickerstown. Biggar is situated on the east coast of the island and is a more agricultural community, with farms extending south of the village as far as the
South Walney Nature Reserve. It is possibly the oldest settlement on Walney, with
Furness Abbey records from 1292 mentioning a
grange at Biggar, and today is still a farming village.
Environment Walney is low-lying, narrow and windswept – it is said by the
North-West Evening Mail to be the windiest lowland site in England. The island's northern and southern ends,
South Walney and
North Walney, are both nature reserves, consisting of
salt-marsh,
shingle,
sand dunes and
brackish ponds. South Walney is home to a large number of birds, many of which use the island as a stop whilst migrating. Breeding bird species at South Walney include
common eider,
common ringed plover,
Eurasian oystercatcher,
lesser black-backed gull and
herring gull. South Walney is also the home of the Walney Bird Observatory. North Walney provides a habitat for
natterjack toads, as well as
Geranium sanguineum var. striatum, the Walney
geranium, found only on the island. The island's west coast is characterised by wide sandy beaches, whilst its east coast is more built up, facing the narrow and muddy Walney Channel. Since 2005, the coast off Walney has become a centre for the construction of offshore
wind farms. ==Government, economy and education==