Category: Dunbar

Windy Sunny Dunny

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Monday 3 August: Dunbar is noted for its summer sunshine. After the early rain has passed, it’s certainly sunny, but with an amber warning for storm Floris and winds gusting to the mid-60mph range, the sunshine isn’t the most obvious aspect of the weather. I’ll take a careful walk out to see if I can capture something of the wind on the camera. Avoiding camera shake could be tricky… There’s a strong wall beside the path which provides some shelter for a few shots of the sea and the waves. Beyond, beside the golf course (no-one playing today!), the wind is picking up loose material from the beach – I’m getting sandblasted (and it won’t be doing the camera any good). I’ll turn my back to the wind and head for home.

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map?X=367194&Y=678928&A=Y&Z=120

East Coast

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Tuesday 25 June and Wednesday 26 June: Montrose, the ‘East Neuk’ of Fife and Dunbar. It was a gloomy Tuesday evening in Montrose. Better tomorrow? No! Scotland’s east coast was suffering from a ‘haar’ (what my mother called a ‘sea fret’). The fishing villages – we visited Crail and St Monans – can be very picturesque with a spot of sunshine; they were eerily quiet in the mist. By evening, we’re in Dunbar, and I’m stretching my legs before calling it a day.

North Berwick

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Tuesday 30 August: Not St Abbs! That was our intended destination, but there was a tailback on the A1 just past the cement works. “Let’s go to North Berwick instead”. It was a good choice – great rolls and cakes from a High Street deli and a bench with an extensive view across the Firth of Forth to the Fife fishing villages (try saying that quickly!), encompassing all the little islands off this coast. Now replete, we can explore a little – along the beach to the harbour and the lookout point. Plenty of interest in all directions – we’ll have to come again!

Tomorrow – back to Shropshire…

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map?X=355445&Y=685773&A=Y&Z=120

Golden sands

On By geoffspagesIn Dunbar, Photography, WalksLeave a comment

Friday 26 August: A shoreline walk to the west of Dunbar. The route I’ve shown on the map starts and ends at the “Bridge to Nowhere”, where there’s space for parking (I walked there…). It’s very nearly high tide and the bridge isn’t usable yet, the approach paths on either side are under water. Instead, I’ll follow the John Muir Way as far as the bridge over the Hedderwick Burn. I won’t cross it – I’ll walk along the shore around Hedderwick Hill plantation (which may need replanting after the devastation of last winter’s storm). Crossing the dunes brings me back to the beach, which is quiet at first, becoming more popular as I head back towards the bridge to nowhere. Happily, the tide has begun to ebb and I can cross without getting wet feet. I may need to hurry along a bit now – the sky’s looking rather threatening – are those the first drops of rain?

There are oystercatchers and curlews in the creeks and marshes, and on the beach are smaller birds (I think they’re sanderlings), skittering about trying to retrieve tasty morsels without getting wet. They’re never still for a moment, which makes getting a decent photo tricky…

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map?X=365222&Y=679122&A=Y&Z=120

East coast sunset

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Thurs. 25 August: We’re spending a few days in Dunbar, on the north-east coast of Scotland, where the Firth of Forth has become the North Sea. By the time we’ve arrived and settled, there’s only enough daylight left for a quick walk along the clifftop paths. It doesn’t look as though the sun will shine – I won’t take a camera… Inevitably, the unexpected sunset was well worth a photo or two – I’ll use the phone.

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map?X=367355&Y=679230&A=Y&Z=120