The John Muir Way
The John Muir Way is a long-distance path which links the outskirts of Edinburgh with the Scottish Borders. Following the coastline for much of its 73km length, the way offers excellent walking within easy reach of the city. The route is named after the Dunbar-born conservationist John Muir, who emigrated to America whilst still a boy and became the father of the American National Parks and a key figure in the conservation movement.
The route has a variety of scenery from fine sandy beaches to wilder coastal clifftops. It links several attractive towns and villages with plenty of facilities, and gives views of some fascinating landforms such as the Bass Rock and North Berwick Law.
| Stage descriptions | Length | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 1: Fisherrow to Cockenzie | 9.5km | 2.5 - 3 hours |
| Stage 2: Cockenzie to Aberlady | 8.75km | 2.5 - 3 hours |
| Stage 3: Aberlady to North Berwick | 14km | 3 - 3.5 hours |
| Stage 4: North Berwick to Dunbar | 23km | 5 - 5.5 hours |
| Stage 5: Dunbar to Dunglass | 15km | 4.5 - 5 hours |
THE CHALLENGE
The route is waymarked and offers fairly straightforward walking throughout. The first half of the route is fairly level, with some steep inclines on the second half after North Berwick.
ACCOMMODATION AND SERVICES ALONG THE WAY
The John Muir Trail passes through a series of coastal towns and villages, with good services and accommodation available.
Fisherrow is part of Musselburgh, an ancient town though now so close to the fringe of Edinburgh. As would be expected, it offers shopping and a range of accommodation, though also easy to reach from Edinburgh or Leith.
Accommodation in Cockenzie and Port Seton is limited, but there is bed and breakfast available - as well as good public transport links back to Edinburgh.
Aberlady has both a hotel and inn, whilst Gullane has a further choice.
North Berwick is a town with all services, including a choice of B&B and hotels.
The next stage is a long one, though East Linton offers both accommodation and shops and offers a chance to break the journey.
The coast is rejoined once more at the town of Dunbar, again offering a choice of both hotels and guest houses as well as shops for supplies.
The route ends at Dunglass which has no services, however it is possible to walk on to Cocksburnpath across the border in Berwickshire - around a mile away - for a bus.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
The John Muir Way is generally well served by public transport links.
Musselburgh, Prestonpans, Longniddry, North Berwick, East Linton and Dunbar are all served by rail from Edinburgh.
There is also a FirstGroup service that runs from Edinburgh via Musselburgh, Prestonpans, Longniddry, Aberlady and Gullane to North Berwick. A second service links Edinburgh to Dunbar, via East Linton.
The end of the route is the hardest point to reach by public transport, but there is a service that links Dunbar with Cockburnsfoot.
Timetables for all the routes can be found on Traveline Scotland.
The following users have walked the John Muir Way:
kenzie PhilTurner GEOFFCARSON rod.mac39 embo636 dazza4994 welshy165 duncanmacdonald nigheandonn Janet Burton Tussi Bee Dubya macrae13 tolea andulka
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User reports from John Muir Way
| Title | Author | Likes |
|---|---|---|
| North Berwick to Dunbar | buttermere4 | 0 |
| John Muir Way | nigheandonn | 2 |
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