Around Britain

I had returned to Berwick two days before with Polly to spend some time with Richard and Fiona Forsyth. Yesterday we visited Holy Island together. We had plenty of time to investigate the castle and abbey as the tide trapped us on the island for several hours. After an early breakfast with Polly at the Castle Hotel, I was on my way by 0825. My destination was Dunbar but Polly was ready to pick me up in our hired car if I fell short.

The map did not show a clear and continuous coastal path but I decided to risk it. There was no direct inland alternative and it would have been a hilly and circuitous route. After taking the road over the railway and through housing estates, I soon found a way back over the railway to a stretch of coast cut off from the mainland by the railway and the A1 almost side by side. At first I found a good track but it later became an indistinct line through rough grass. At a trailer park in Marshall Meadows Bay, I found that I had come 3 miles from Berwick and another half mile would take me across the border into Scotland. The border itself didn't seem to be marked. Just short of Burnmouth I met two men hiking down to Berwick from Eyemouth. They gave me directions which I ignored. This cost me time as I found myself in a field tapering to a point with the railway on one side and a steep drop on the far side of a wall on all others apart from the way I had come. Burnmouth was tantalisingly close but completely inaccessible. I returned almost to the point at which I received guidance and descended to a row of fishermen's cottages just above the shore. A contractor acknowledged me with the words “All right?” At the harbour I discovered a small bronze with the date 14th October 1881. The bronze was a plain small slab placed on top of a wall with a row of small figures standing on top, all staring ahead. Seven were women and there were eight children. The eldest child held one of the smallest in her arms. An adjacent notice told me that the work was erected in 2001 to commemorate the sea disaster on the date given. The women were the widows staring out to sea to see if any boats would return. Later I discovered that the fishing fleets lost 129 men on that day.

I climbed up out of Burnmouth and then onto another stretch of coastal path. From this I later had a view of Eyemouth, quite a substantial town. A golf course separated me from the town and I found that I had gone almost to the harbour mouth. This forced me to retrace my steps until I came to a bridge over a river. From there I walked into the town centre. Although I had iron rations with me, I couldn't resist a cup of lentil soup and a flapjack from Trotters Family Bakery. The soup scalded the inside of my mouth. I sat in the centre next to a life size statue of a 19th century fisherman. He was climbing up a step with one arm outstretched and the other holding a large fish by the head so that its tail dragged along the ground. A notice nearby indicated that was the site of the town market for centuries. At one time two thousand had gathered here to protest against the imposition of parish tithes on fish landings.

As I left the town I saw a banner to do with the Herring Queen of 2009. Now there was another stretch of coastal path. This took me to a cove near Coldingham with beach huts. I climbed up to the road and reached the main town. A memorial had been erected by The Honourable Alexander Home Earl of Dunglass and Coldingham. The stone column bore a single set of numbers “1815”. No more needed to be said. It's not a year ever to be forgotten. At this I point I conferred with Polly and agreed a time and place to meet as I wouldn't get anywhere near Dunbar. Out of Coldingham I took a minor road that went through Lumsdaine. There I was confronted by a notice “Farm only” but there was no turning back. I waved at a man on a tractor and walked through the farm. I was punctual at the appointed place but Polly had been delayed so I continued on the A1107 through Old Cambus until she drove up. I had taken 9 hours 17 minutes (including the stop in Eyemouth) to do 25.08 miles (measured on my GPS). Total 1276.7

Polly drove me back to the place she had found me on Friday. I soon left the main road and passed through Pease Holiday Village. Soon after a finger post indicated the Southern Upland Way on a path headed for the coastline. I wanted to make progress so I stuck to the minor road and went close to Cockburnspath where the Way finishes. I walked close to Dunglass Collegiate Church and intended to stick to minor roads on either side of the A1 to speed me up as I hoped to make it to North Berwick. Then I saw a sign to the John Muir Way (JM was a leading conservationist) and I took that instead. It lead me down to the beach and then up again to the top of the cliff. Soon after the cliff ended and I approached Torness Nuclear Power Station. This was protected by a huge crescent shaped barricade reinforced by thousands of concrete cones on the seaward side. Bright blue water pushed well out to sea from a subterranean vent leading from the edifice. Five fisherman had taken up position next to this water so it must have attracted the fish. I took the upper of the two walkways for the better view.

Later I came close to a lighthouse and then skirted round the Dunbar Golf Club course. Two young golfers had a contraption like a motorised trolley which ran ahead of then carrying their clubs. I visited our hotel (Baywells) to drink tea and eat shortbread and dates. After this I walked through a leisure area after passing yet another golf course on the western side of the town. A miniature train on a narrow gauge ran near me through a herd of llamas. A woman threw some titbit from the train towards the animals. I felt a sting in my side and I realised that one of a laughing group of boys on the train had thrown something (?a stone) at me. I decided to ignore it and stepped onto a parallel path further away from the train.

When I reached a stream crossing at the beginning of a large bay I had to turn inland. The bridge was only suitable for use at low tide. It had floated up with the rising tide but each end was just too far from the bank to be jumped. I pressed through thick vegetation along an indistinct path which later vanished until I reached a path which got me back on track. I found the John Muir Path again by the river Tyne (not the Tyne). This took me towards East Linton along the riverside. Polly rang to say she was nearby so we met up on the B1407. 18.7 miles in 6 hours 5 minutes excluding the hotel stop. Total 1295.4

Polly and I drove in a hired car from Berwick-on-Tweed to our hotel in North Berwick (MacDonald Marine and Spa). I changed and Polly then drove me to the point on the B1407 where she had picked me up last time between East Linton and Tyninghame.

I headed north east, jogging, mostly up hill, until I reached a T junction. I turned left and then right to pass Bankhead. To my right I could see Bass Rock, an island of bare rock with a high cliff on the landward side, just offshore, near Tantallon Castle. On the last stretch, North Berwick Law came into view. This is a small but steep and prominent hill on the outskirts of North Berwick. There seems to be the ruin of a fort on top. I joined the A198 and ran along it until I came to a lesser road leading in the direction of the hotel. I passed between many large and prosperous houses and then lost my way. I ended up on the Links between the town and the sea. The hotel looks out over these Links.

I managed to run the whole way, albeit slowly. The distance was 7.46 miles and the time 1 hour 25 minutes. 1302.86

I set off rather later than intended, delayed by the comforts of the hotel and the papers I had bought early on in the main shopping street. Shortly after the Yellow Craig Plantation I missed the continuation of the John Muir Way but I re-joined it just before Dirleton. I sat there briefly to take a swig of my drink and contemplate the scene. It seemed to be a prosperous place like North Berwick, due perhaps to the proximity of Edinburgh. Just after leaving the village a low flying plane caught my attention. It disappeared behind some trees and then re-appeared intent on landing in the field along the edge of which I was walking. The plane then taxied until disappearing into a large barn or hanger on the far side of the field.

I had seen AA signs regarding the Amateur Golf Championships. I now passed Muirfield which seemed to be the venue. I know it to be one of the courses which hosts the Open Golf Championships. This was immediately before Gullane, a town boasting of the number of its golf courses including one for children. Once past the town I joined the A198 which took me, via a bay, to Aberlady. This seemed to have been a significant port in medieval times. It served the inland town of Haddington which was at one time a garrison town for the English army. I stopped at a shop which served tea and coffee. I bought a sandwich and a bar of chocolate for my lunch.

Two men inside were teasing the Asian proprietor, saying how this used to be a good shop but had gone downhill since the change of ownership.

I sat outside on a bench beside a curious stone structure. There were three stone steps up to a thin central column held in place by a double ring of iron near the top. There was no inscription but the nearest building was called Cross Cottage. Some elderly women, one pushing a baby in a pram, stopped nearby to chat. After a while they dispersed leaving one woman. She was waiting for a bus at the stop near my bench. She turned to ask how long I'd been there and whether I'd seen a bus go by. That led to me asking what the stone construction was. She said it was the Cross. I said I'd worked that out but did she know anything about its history. It seemed she didn't but another woman came by who was introduced as maybe knowing something. This woman had already passed by but the group had not spoken to her. She had a slightly awkward manner but she took me to a side street and showed me a picture on a wall. It was an artist's impression of Aberlady in medieval times. There was a market being held in a wide street and in the middle was the object, called the Mercat Cross. There was someone on the steps of the cross addressing a crowd. There were sheep and cattle, a mule train, and vendors with bowls of unidentifiable objects, sitting in front of tents made, probably, of animal skins. Present day ruins of a castle and a Benedictine Monastery were shown as buildings then in their prime. A beacon was shown on the edge of the bay. A raised metal container with fuel inside lit up to give a warning, perhaps, that an English fleet had been seen approaching.

Well pleased that the Cross had not remained a complete mystery, I continued. The John Muir hugged the coast from Gosford Bay. The view ahead was dominated by the two chimneys of a Power Station in Cockenzie and Port Seton. I passed Longniddry just inland and entered Seton Sands and walked between the power station and the sea. Then I could see Prestonpans ahead. The pans were the large dishes in which sea water was boiled by the local monks until it left just the salt. This was crucial for the preservation of meat and fish to provide winter food.

At Prestonpans Bonnie Prince Charlie enjoyed a great victory over the Government forces. The opposing general fled, leaving behind his personal papers and the money for payment of his troops.

Between Prestonpans and Musselburgh there was an industrial museum. It was close to a place where there had been an important harbour. Two of the old harbour walls were visible just inland. Approaching Musselburgh I walked along the eastern bank of the River Esk. I made for Newhailes which Polly had visited and met her in the car park. We then drove to Innerleithin where we had booked in at the Traquair Arms for a couple of nights. The idea was to meet up with Richard and Fiona Forsyth and see their production of Macbeth in the grounds of Traquair House, the oldest house in Scotland that has been in continuous occupation.

I covered 21.01 miles in 6 hours 59 minutes (including my lunch stop). Total 1323.87

We are staying with Richard and Fiona Forsyth and I'm taking the opportunity to do another stage in this endless journey.

The Forsyths told me to catch a bus to Musselburgh from York Place, a wide street on the ridge above New Town. One came almost at once. The woman bus driver told me that my English Bus Pass was not accepted in Scotland. I offered a ten pound note to pay my fare but she said that money was not handled on buses in Scotland. Non-plussed I retreated. She had offered no advice on what I should do. Sadly I lacked the mental quickness to ask her. It might have been possible to put the exact fare into a slot so that no money actually changed hands. So I went to Waverley Station and caught a train to Musselburgh. I walked passed Newhailes (where I had met up with Polly last year) and reached Fisherrow Harbour. The sea had withdrawn far out into the Forth but there were beached boats in the harbour so presumably it's in use. Fishwives had worked here to supply Edinburgh with its fish. They were independent women as their husbands were fishermen at sea for long periods. The fish trade meant they did not have to rely on their husbands' earnings. Some of them were still operating in the 20th century.

At Portobello there was a long promenade above the beach. This had been the holiday resort of the Edinburgh middle class in the late 19th and 20th centuries until replaced by package holidays abroad. Later I joined the A1 which took me into Leith. This was down at heel commercially but the area looked up as I came close to an expensive building ‘The Scottish Government'. Just before then I dropped in on a café run by a young woman. I took broccoli and stilton soup, bread and butter, a cup of tea and a piece of chocolate cake - all for £5.10 (which I rounded up to £5.50).

I reached the point at which the Water of Leith comes out into the Port of Leith. This area by the waterside had been colonised by smartish restaurants. I passed Newhaven Harbour and stopped just after Granton Harbour. Both of these appeared to be used as marinas for leisure craft. I decided not to go any further today as I had to get back at a reasonable hour to be sociable.

Completed 7.46 miles today in 2 hours 40 minutes. Total 1331.33