A new festival gets underway this Wednesday (16 May) offering a variety of walks and other activities based at St Abbs nature reserve.
Running for one week, the festival is a joint venture between the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) which manages the reserve and the local community. The festival aims to celebrate everything which makes the area special, from its seabirds to diving history, from its archaeology to its surf breaks, from its fisherman to its artists. There are walks, talks and films, surfing lessons and arts and crafts to enjoy.
St Abb’s Head artist-in-residence Sarah Riseborough who has been working with the Trust since last summer has worked with local historian Rennie Weatherhead to put on a special exhibition celebrating the long history of the area. She will also share some of the short stories she has written on a special story walk.
Liza Cole, National Trust for Scotland Property Manager said: “This is a really exciting event celebrating St Abbs. We think that the programme really showcases the area well with its variety.
“The Trust, as the custodians of St Abb’s Head National Nature Reserve, are proud to be playing an important part – we’ll be giving talks and walks on seabirds, archaeology and hosting a seashore safari too. It all fits in really well with the Trust’s aim to conserve and promote our heritage.
“We hope that this first year is a big success and encourages plenty of people to learn more about the heritage of this beautiful part of Scotland.”
St Abbs Fest is a prelude to another St Abbs-inspired cultural first as the Scottish Chamber Orchestra prepare to debut a new piece by composer-conductor Howard Moody which was specially composed in honour of the nature reserve. Local children were involved in the development of the piece which will be performed for the first time at Duns Volunteer Hall on 24 May, before travelling to Castle Douglas on Friday 25 May and concluding at Galashiels Volunteer Hall on Saturday 26 May.
Details of the festival events on offer can be found on the NTS website. If you can’t make it to the festival but fancy sampling the fantastic coastal walk at St Abb’s Head, check out the route description on Walkhighlands. The Berwickshire Coastal Path, which recently became one of the 23 Scotland’s Great Trails also passes through St Abb’s.