Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
John Muir Birthplace
126 High St • April-Oct Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 1-5pm; Nov-March same hours but closed Mon & Tues • Free •
T
01368 865 899,
W
jmbt.org.uk
More famous abroad than in his native Scotland, John Muir (1838-1914) was a tireless
campaigner for the protection of the natural world and played an integral role in the
creation of the United States' national parks system. he
John Muir Birthplace
was born out
of demand from the many Americans visiting Dunbar in the hope of learning more about
Muir's early life and childhood inspirations. he three-storey whitewashed tenement
describes itself as an interpretative centre rather than a museum, and while it engagingly
tells the story of Muir's passage from childhood to pioneer, there are few historical artefacts
on show.
1
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
DUNBAR
By train
Dunbar is served by trains
from Edinburgh
Waverley (every 30min; 20min). From the station it's a
5min walk north to the high street.
By bus
Four buses (#6, #X6, #X6 & #253) depart from
Edinburgh's bus station (every 30min) to Dunbar High St;
the quickest is the #253 (1hr).
By car
From Edinburgh take the A1 (London Rd) and turn
onto the A199 3 miles after East Linton, after which Dunbar
is a 5min drive.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
The Creel Restaurant
25 Lamer St, near the old harbour
T
01368 863 279,
W
creelrestaurant.co.uk.
Run by a
former chef to Rick Stein, this restaurant knows a thing or
two about fish. Serves well-judged meals celebrating
regional produce, including fish (battered using the local
Belhaven brew) and chips plus dessert for £14.50.
Wed-Sat
noon-2.30pm & 6.30-9pm, Sun noon-2.30pm.
The Retreat B&B
Retreat Crescent
T
07572 873 661,
W
the-retreat-dunbar.co.uk.
Just outside the centre, this
seductive nineteenth-century building is the ideal base,
especially for families, with its generously proportioned
rooms that sleep up to four. It can be a bit tricky to find, so
the owners
are ha
ppy to c
ollec
t guests from the station.
Family room
£120
; doubles
£75
Haddington and around
Sitting on the banks of the River Tyne with the hulking mass of
St Mary's Church
,
Scotland's largest parish church, rising tall near its centre, this is one of Scotland's
most respectable county towns. Other than a stroll along the riverbank or through
the seventeenth-century medicinal gardens of
St Mary's Pleasance
on Sidegate, there's
not much to detain you in the town unless you arrive on the last Saturday of the
month for the newly revived
farmers' market
.
Just four miles south of town, the pretty hamlet of
Gifford
, with its eighteenth-century
estate cottages flanked by a trim whitewashed church and a couple of good pubs, makes
for a good last stop before the godforsaken wilderness of the Lammermuir Hills.
Glenkinchie Distillery
7 miles southwest of Haddington on the A6093 • Easter-Oct Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun noon-5pm; Nov-Easter Mon-Sat 10am-3pm, Sun
noon-3pm; last tour 1hr before closing • £7 • Coming by car, turn south at Pencaitland onto Lempockwells Rd and follow the signs for 2 miles
he
Glenkinchie Distillery
is the closest place to Edinburgh where malt whisky is made.
Here, of course, they emphasize the qualities that set Glenkinchie, a lighter, drier malt,
apart from the peaty, smoky whiskies of the north and west. On display is a pleasant
little exhibition featuring some quaint distilling relics, which enhance the factory tour
experience almost as much as the free dram at the end.
Midlothian
Immediately south of Edinburgh lies the old county of
Midlothian
, once called
Edinburghshire. It's one of the hilliest parts of the Central Lowlands, with the Pentland
