Take the high road to East Lothian
The East Lothian coast might not be the frst place you’d turn to for blazing summer sunshine, but – believe it or not – the stretch of shore between Dunbar and North Berwick sees less rain and more sunshine than anywhere else in the UK. Palm trees, steel drums, bikinis and piña coladas are thin on the ground, but sandy beaches are not; nor are storied castles, rolling farmland and cliffs packed with nesting gannets. See it at its best by taking an early summer stroll along a portion of the John Muir Way – named after the locally born conservationist who moved to the United States to pioneer the national park movement in the 19th century. Start at the handsome Victorian seaside town of North Berwick – on whose outskirts stand the 14th-century ruins of Tantallon Castle – before scaling the hill of Berwick Law. The outline of Edinburgh’s Arthur’s Seat is just visible from the top. From here, it’s an easy day’s walking south to the fshing town of Dunbar. Rest trail-weary feet at Lochhouses Farm – which offers accommodation in treehouses and safari tents, pitched close to the beach, within earshot of the breaking waves of the North Sea.
9 The island of Bass Rock in the Forth of Firth, viewed from North Berwick