 One possibility is that Æthelræd's invasion concerned Cumbrian support of Scandinavian predatory forces in the area, and that the operation was aimed at Scandinavian outposts in the Irish Sea region.Certainly, the aforesaid annal-entry also notes that an "enemy fleet" departed for Normandy that year, although no context for this movement is given.According to the twelfth-century "Chronicon ex chronicis", the fleet vacated the north prior to Æthelræd's strike, which may well explain why the latter was free to undertake a foreign campaign.