Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
sea before North Berwick. here are live links from the centre to cameras mounted on
the islands which show close-up pictures of the birds in their nesting grounds. At the
risk of getting wet (and cold) you can hop aboard one of the thrilling speedboat rides
to the islands - weather permitting. Trips range from a one-hour jaunt around a couple
of islands, to a five-and-a-half-hour trip with time on the Bass Rock itself. Contact the
Seabird Centre to find out what boat tours are available on any given day.
Dirleton Castle
2.5 miles west of North Berwick, signposted off the A198 • April-Sept daily 9.30am-5.30pm; Oct-March daily 9.30am-4.30pm • £5.50;
HS • Reached in 15min from North Berwick on the Edinburgh bus (First Bus #124; every 30min)
he genteel hamlet of Dirleton huddles around the romantic thirteenth-century ruins
of
Dirleton Castle,
which saw action in the Wars of Scottish Independence. It was later
rendered militarily defunct after a besiegement by Oliver Cromwell's army to flush out
bandits. Today it's an attractive relic, largely intact, with restored Victorian gardens
making for a popular wedding venue.
Tantallon Castle
3 miles east of North Berwick on the A198 • Daily: April-Sept 9.30am-5.30pm; Oct-March 9.30am-4.30pm • £4.70; HS • From North
Berwick take the Dunbar bus (Eves Coaches #120; Mon-Sat 6 daily, 2 on Sun; 6min), or you can walk there from town along the cliffs in
around an hour
he melodramatic ruins of
Tantallon Castle
stand on the precipitous cliffs facing the
Bass Rock. With a sheer drop down to the sea on three sides and a sequence of moats
and ditches on the fourth, the desolate invincibility of this fourteenth-century
stronghold is daunting, especially when the wind howls over the remaining battlements
and the surf crashes on the rocks far below.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
NORTH BERWICK AND AROUND
By train
North Berwick is served by an hourly train
from
Edinburgh Waverley (33min). From the station it's a 10min
walk east to the town centre.
By bus
First Group #124, #X24 and #X25 from Edinburgh's
bus station (every 30min; 1hr35min) run along the coast
and stop on High St, North Berwick.
By car
From Edinburgh take the A1 (London Rd) and turn
onto the A198 at Tranent. From here, it's a further 13 miles
to North Berwick.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
The Glebe House B&B
Law Rd, North Berwick
T
01620 892 608,
W
glebehouse-nb.co.uk.
A grand
eighteenth-century manse in secluded grounds 100yd
inland but still overlooking the sea. With decor befitting
of its period, the rooms are spacious yet homely and at
breakfast you can opt for a Sc
ottish
fry-up - although
there are healthier choices too.
£110
Ì
Osteria
71 High St, North Berwick
T
01620 890
589,
W
osteria-no1.co.uk
Run by a highly successful
father and daughter team, this is one of the country's top
Italian restaurants. Their intelligent use of herbs adds a
subtle Mediterranean fragrance to the dishes. Prices hover
around £8 for
primi
courses while meaty
secondi piatti
rise
steeply from £15. Booking recommended.
Mon 6-10pm,
Tues-Sat 12.30-2pm & 6-10pm.
Dunbar
hirty miles east of the capital lies the coastal town of
DUNBAR
, with its delightfully
intricate double harbour set beside the shattered remains of a once-mighty castle. Its local
industry is fishing but the more a
uent residents are commuters who take advantage of
the town's station on the main London to Edinburgh train line. Dunbar's recently
spruced-up High Street is graced by several grand old stone buildings, one of which is the
birthplace of nineteenth-century explorer and naturalist,
John Muir
, whose name is also
given to the attractive
country park
neighbouring the town. You can get to the park on an
easy three-mile walk west of the harbour, along a rugged stretch of coast to the sands of
Belhaven Bay.
