Bucolic Splendour and a Craggy Coastline

Into the unknown this weekend as we travel to the South East coast of Scotland and the tiny village of St Abbs which is situated just off the A1 Edinburgh to London road in Berwickshire. This is new territory for the both of us, which it is for most of the populace from the west central belt of Scotland, as this coast has traditionally been the holiday and weekend destination for the good citizens of Edinburgh and its suburbs.

The high, craggy cliffs around St Abbs Head are perhaps the best-known landmark along the magnificent Berwickshire coastline. From here it is possible to view the full complex coastline of sheer cliffs, offshore stacks and narrow gullies which provide scenic beauty and a habitat for some outstanding wildlife.
Although best known as a seabird colony, St Abbs Head also hosts a National Nature Reserve which includes 200 acres of grasslands rich in flowers, a freshwater loch and a steady stream of migrant birds.
Parking the car at the visitor centre outside of St Abbs and after a short walk of a mile or so through some bucolic splendour the single track road leads us to a lighthouse situated high on the pinnacle of St Abb’s head. This lighthouse like all lighthouses in the UK is now operated remotely and has been uninhabited since 1993 and the foghorn disconnected in 1987, it now sits proudly as a casualty of the electronic age.
St. Abbs is also a popular site for scuba divers as the sea around the village is unusually clear, in contrast to the more silt-laden coastal waters further to the north or south. As we traverse the high cliffs and face the onslaught of a strong south easterly wind we spot a small diving boat sailing back to the calmer waters of St Abbs harbour.
A former fishing village St Abbs is now home to Britain’s first Voluntary Marine Reserve and a RNLI lifeboat station and while sitting by the harbour we are fortunate to see the lifeboat being hauled up the slipway after a sojourn out on the North Sea.
Daylight hours were closing in on us as we headed along the coastal path and so the decision was made to abort our planned final destination of Eyemouth at the white sands and shabby beach huts of Coldingham Bay. In the right conditions this beach is a popular location for surfers but today it is populated with kite flyers and dog walkers.
Disappointed in our failure at not reaching our end destination by foot we travel down to Eyemouth by car and promise to return at a later date to complete our missed few miles of coast.
Eyemouth is perhaps best known in Scottish history for the Fishing Disaster on the 14th October 1881 when most of the fishing fleet, some 20 boats and 129 men from the town were lost in a terrible storm. Including victims from other coastal towns, a total of 189 men lost their lives.
Modern day Eyemouth is now very much a seaside resort with its long manicured beach, chip shops and pubs although there does seem to be a busy modern harbour within the town providing a shelter for some fishing boats and a seaman’s mission. Our first port of call after a brief walk around the town is Mackays Fish & Chip shop on the High Street for a traditional Fish supper before a leisurely stroll along the beach with some bizarrely flavoured ice creams (Jaffa cake, white chocolate, lemon sorbet) as the sun quickly set in the darkening horizon.