North Berwick to Dunbar

Summary

The John Muir Way is a long distance path named in honour of the Scottish conservationist John Muir, who was born in Dunbar in the 19th Century. This final official section of the walk begins at the fashionable holiday resort of North Berwick before heading across farmland to skirt the vast saltmarshes of the River Tyne estuary before entering Dunbar via a dramatic clifftop footpath to finish at John Muir's birthplace - now an excellent museum in the centre of Dunbar.

Grade (key)

Bog Factor (key)

Rating

Terrain

Some well-made surfaced footpaths and pavements, other sections on narrow and potentially muddy footpaths and tracks.

Public Transport

North Berwick and Dunbar are both served by both bus and trains.

Start

North Berwick. Open in Google Maps.

Walk Statistics

Distance: 23km / 14.25 miles
Time: 5 - 6 hours
Ascent: 174m (Profile)
Start Grid Ref: NT551852

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Walk Description

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Stage 1

Follow North Berwick High Street east to a T-junction with a seating area overlooked by a large mural. Turn right for a short distance towards the war memorial, cross the road and pass through the gates of whitewashed North Berwick Lodge. Go through the archway to enter the Lodge gardens, and follow the path as signposted - right then curving left, passing the pavilion on your right to enter the Victorian parkland. Continue straight ahead to leave the gardens and proceed towards the towering presence of North Berwick Law - a volcanic plug that was formed 350 million years ago and shaped in the more recent Ice Age.

Stage 2

The well-signposted path weaves through a residential area to emerge at the Law car park. Go through the gate and bear right ignoring the direct path up the Law. At a pond fork right to go through a gate and head uphill. Go through another gate on the right and turn left following a straight stone wall at the edge of a field. Cross the road, go through the gap in the hedge ahead and turn left to follow the field edge path. After the field gate turn right along a field edge and then left along a wider track to eventually reach a gap in a stone wall and a path through a patch of woodland east of Balgone House. Follow the well-made path through the woods for 1km, crossing a minor road and continuing on signed paths through Craigmoor Wood, passing a bench with a panoramic view over the Lammermuir Hills to the south before emerging near a country lane.

Stage 3

Head left on an off road path for a short time, then cross the road and head down the straight path ahead passing a couple of small settlements and a pond before reaching a further country lane. Again, cross to pick up another fenced field-edge path and then a muddy lane adjacent to a patch of woodland. Follow the lane around the industrial detritus surrounding Kamehill, keep straight on along the narrower path, cross a footbridge with the castellated mansion of Newbyth House visible to the left. Keep on the path and go straight across the entrance track to a waste tip and follow the track ahead as it climbs over Drylaw Hill to reveal East Linton beyond. Dating from the 16th century - when the bridge was built over the River Tyne for the Edinburgh to London Post Road. Turn left to follow the road into East Linton which has a Co-op, pub and cafe beyond where the John Muir Way turns left.

Stage 4

Turn left soon after entering East Linton - signposted Prestonkirk Parish Church and Preston Mill - the former incorporating elements of the original 13th Century St Baldred's Kirk. Shortly after passing the imposing church branch right onto a footpath above the river. Cross a footbridge and turn left to follow the river along a narrow footpath towards the superbly-named settlement of Phantassie. Preston Mill can be seen across the river - there has been a mill on this site since the 12th Century, though the current buildings date from the 17th Century. The Mill, which featured in the TV series Outlander, can can be visited by a short detour just before the footbridge. Continue on the river path as directed - crossing two bridges as the river meanders through the farmland. Turn right after passing under Tyninghame Bridge to shadow the A198 on an off-road path for a short distance, before turning left along a farm access track.

Stage 5

Before long this track arrives at the vast expanse of Hedderwick Sands - complex saltmarshes forming the River Tyne estuary. Bear right to skirt the southern edge of the water until a footbridge is crossed to enter the Hedderwick Hill pine plantation. Keep ahead on the signed path which runs alongside the fence (the original John Muir Way lies just slightly to the left but is currently blocked by fallen trees) through which you can see the animal inhabitants of East Links Family Park. Now within the John Muir Country Park, stay on the signed route bearing right to pass the children's play area on your right and then the toilets. The path now skirts Belhaven Bay - an important harbour from the 12th to 16th Century before silting forced a relocation along the coast to Cromwell Harbour in Dunbar. Eventually the path reaches a red metal footbridge across Biel Water - turn left after crossing this and continue onwards to a series of car parks and barbecue areas.

Stage 6

Turn left and negotiate these hardstandings to reach a grassy path. Note the 'Bridge to Nowhere' out to the left - it is surrounded by water for a least 2 hours around high tide. Proceed along the coast path - navigation is simply a case of keeping the sea on the left - and enjoy the twists and turns as the path follows the complex shoreline and rugged red cliffs before reaching Dunbar near the Leisure Centre.

Stage 7

Before the leisure centre is reached bear right away from the coast to follow Bayswell Road to the roundabout at the top of the High Street. Head down this to visit the John Muir Birthplace museum, and the statue of John Muir as a boy. This is the official end of the trail.

Optional extension: Dunbar to Dunglass

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