MICHELE BIANCO CERAMICS

The Berwickshire Coast

The first section of my route hugged the edge of the rugged coast, slightly hemmed in by the busy A1 and the main east coast trainline, but although there was the background hum of traffic, with the waves crashing on the rocks below and the path meandering through thickets of flowering gorse it was easy to feel much further away from the hustle and bustle. I passed high above deep, hidden coves with ruined crofts before the path dropped down to the tucked away harbour at Burnmouth.  From there a steep climb back up the cliffs led to a spectacular stretch of the route with very pronounced twisted and contorted rock strata.

After passing through Eyemouth I followed the cliff top path before descending to a beautiful sheltered rocky bay at Linkim Shore and then on to Coldingham Bay in the rapidly fading late afternoon light. I arrived at my overnight stop in the pretty village of Coldingham with the sky filling with shades of pink as the sun disappeared.

An early start the next morning in beautiful sunshine as I followed an ancient wooded path down to St Abbs harbour. I then entered the St Abbs Nature Reserve and followed the coastline up onto the spectacular cliffs, passing hidden coves populated by breeding grey seals and their pristine white pups, up to St Abbs head lighthouse. From there I enjoyed the far reaching views to the north and south before the path returned inland for a while, past Mire Loch with its murmuring reeds. 

Then another very steep climb allowed breathtaking views back over the St Abbs peninsular before continuing northwards along the high clifftop path with views down to the spectacular geology of the coastline and hidden bays far below speckled with the lounging forms  of dozens of seals and pups.

From a high point at Telegraph Hill (227m) looking north the landscape became less undulating, with the landmarks of Bass Rock out to sea on the distant horizon and the nuclear power station at Torness dominating the view. 

The following morning was much chillier and I passed through Pease Bay with its wide sandy beach as the sun rose and past the historic harbour at Cove, strangely overshadowed by the power station in the distance. 

Then a very welcome coffee and donut stop at the community shop in Cocksburnpath (thank you for making me a coffee even though the machine was undergoing repairs! :  )  ) before heading on through a steeply wooded valley to Dunglass, passing under the old and new A1 bridges and the trainline. The path emerged through the trees onto the wide sandy beach that stretches all the way to Torness nuclear power station. 

Whenever I’ve passed by the power station on the train or in the car before I’ve always thought it has a monumentally sculptural quality and walking right round it magnified this impression. The blocky forms emerge above the dunes and marram grass as you approach from the beach and with the steam dispersing into the sunny sky its massive structure has a powerful impact. 

There’s a concrete walkway (approx. 1.5km long) that leads round the perimeter of the site along the coast and being sandwiched in between the power station and the churning sea on a narrow concrete ledge, with the sounds of warning sirens coming from the buildings was a slightly intimidating experience. I was surprised to see a row of men fishing from the rocks into the outflow channel for the cooling water from the power station – I’m not sure I would be keen to eat whatever they were catching but I guess it comes ready cooked!

North of the power station my route continued along the edge of the sea, past the beautiful White Sands beach to reach the pretty harbour town of Dunbar, birthplace of the naturalist John Muir. Just to the south of the town the sandstone forms some amazing wave worn pillars and ledges. 

Setting out from the town the next morning my route took me along the edge of Belhaven Bay with views out to sea to Bass Rock and then inland through the John Muir Country Park through mature Scots Pines to emerge onto the mud flats of the River Tyne estuary. I followed the river inland as far as East Linton, seeing and hearing large numbers of migratory birds including a field full of swans. 

My route along the John Muir Way then passed through rolling farmland and woodland northwards as far as the very pretty town of North Berwick before heading out along the edge of the Firth of Forth beaches to the village of Dirleton with its historic castle and garden.

Having heard the dire weather warnings about the approach of storm Arwen on my final day I got an early start heading westwards along the edge of the Firth of Forth towards Edinburgh and walking fast! By mid morning the wind was so strong that I was extremely grateful for the shelter provided by the Sea Buckthorn trees growing along the edges of the dunes as walking along the shore became impossible. I arrived at the station in Prestonpans as scaffolding was being blown across the street and managed to get onto the last train out of Edinburgh just an hour or so before the worst of the storm hit and the trainlines and roads were closed. Travelling home on the train I couldn’t quite get over how lucky I’d been to have 5 days of sunny walking and to finish just in time – a very lucky escape!