Friday 14 October: Dunbar. A fine sandy dune-backed beach, accessible (except at high tide) by Dunbar’s ‘bridge to nowhere’. If the tide is in, there’s an alternative route (which I’ll have to follow on my return) via the John Muir Way, past tidal marshes, home to numerous wading birds.
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!
Just published to Geoff’s Rail Diaries, an account of a trip from Dunbar to Glasgow by rail, taking in the reconstructed line between Bathgate and Airdrie, and returning by the high-speed line from Queen St. via Falkirk and Linlithgow. Visit ‘Return to Glasgow‘ – now!
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…
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.
Saturday 5 June: a trip to the beach, this time near Yellow Craig, just to the west of North Berwick. There are several islands in this part of the Firth of Forth – the Bass Rock is probably best known; Craigleith lies closer to North Berwick and just offshore is Fidra.
Friday 4 June: A coastal walk from Dunbar to Hedderwick Sands, at the mouth of Scotland’s river Tyne – and back along the beach of Belhaven Bay, with views to Dunbar ahead, and the Bass Rock behind.
Saturday 19 September: Two weeks ago we were in Dunbar. Thursday and Friday were gloriously sunny; today’s a greyer, more subdued kind of day. We’re visiting – briefly – the coast just a little to the west, around Tyninghame, an area that will repay further further exploration on another occasion. Later, we’re back in Dunbar, for a last look before heading south again in the morning.