Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Getting There & Away
North Berwick is 24 miles east of Edinburgh. First bus 124 runs between Edinburgh and
North Berwick (1¼ hours, every 20 minutes). There are frequent trains between North
Berwick and Edinburgh (£5.70, 35 minutes, hourly).
DUNBAR
POP 6350
Dunbar was an important Scottish fortress town in the Middle Ages, but little remains of
its past, save for the tottering ruins of
Dunbar Castle
overlooking the harbour. Today the
town survives as a fishing port and seaside resort, famed in the USA as the birthplace of
John Muir
(1838-1914), pioneer conservationist and father of the US national park sys-
tem.
The
tourist office
(
01368-863353; 143 High St; 9am-5pm Mon-Sat, 11am-4pm
Sun Jun-Sep, 9am-5pm Mon-Sat Apr, May & Oct)
is near the town hall.
The town centre is home to
John Muir House
(
www.jmbt.org.uk
;
126 High St; admis-
sion free; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat, 1-5pm Sun, closed Mon & Tue Nov-Mar)
, the birthplace
and childhood home of the great man himself. The nearby
Dunbar Town House Mu-
seum
(
www.dunbarmuseum.org
; High St; admission free; 1-5pm Apr-Oct, Sat & Sun
only Nov-Mar)
provides an introduction to local history and archaeology.
From the castle, a scenic 2-mile clifftop trail follows the coastline west to the sands of
Belhaven Bay and
John Muir Country Park
.
First bus X6 (one hour, hourly) runs between Edinburgh and Dunbar. Trains from Edin-
burgh's Waverley train station serve Dunbar (£6.90, 20 minutes) every hour or so.
West Lothian
LINLITHGOW
POP 13,400
This ancient royal burgh is one of Scotland's oldest towns, though much of it 'only' dates
from the 15th to 17th centuries. Its centre retains a certain charm, despite some ugly mod-
ern buildings and occasional traffic congestion, and the town makes an excellent day trip
from Edinburgh.
The
tourist office
(
01506-282720; Burgh Halls, The Cross; 9am-5pm Mon-Sat,
11am-5pm Sun)
is close to the palace entrance.
