DUNBAR AND BELHAVEN BAY

FACTFILE

Distance: 6½ miles

Time: 3 to 4 hours

OS Landranger 67

Start / finish point: Dunbar’s High Street.

The warm sunny days of summer are usually at their best just before the long school holidays start. So, now is the time to get out there and enjoy the weather and wonderful scenery on our doorstep.

As midsummer is barely a few weeks away where better to head than the beach? Dunbar has a great cliff top trail which takes you past small bays and rocky outcrops - in places you can drop down and explore the rock pools. You then reach Belhaven Bay, a fantastic stretch of beach which is perfect for a family picnic - and reached by a strange bridge over Biel Water which is cut off at high tide (there is a detour, see below). If you’re lucky you might see horses being exercised - a marvellous sight as their hooves thunder along the sands. You can return past the John Muir Country Park and an area of salt marsh where, appropriately, horse races were held in the 19^{th century.}

The route starts in the centre of Dunbar where you turn left at the top (north end) of the town’s High Street. Follow the road past a Sea Cadets base and turn right, down some steps. Follow a sign for the "John Muir Way" left, along the coast. Just before a small headland go left, up some steps (the second set you reach), and through an archway.

More steps lead up to a wide concrete path on the right (in front of The Rocks restaurant). Follow the path right along the cliff top to the top of some steps which you go down. Then, follow the edge of a golf course - walking as close to the shore as it is safe to do so.

On reaching Belhaven Bay cross the bridge over Biel Water and continue to the end of the beach. If the tide is in, continue down the road by Biel Water for about 250 yards and take a path on the right. Follow this for about 500 yards, where it bears left, next to the river. Cross a bridge and go right. When the path veers away from the river take a smaller path on the right which leads to the beach, crossing a small burn.

At the far end of the beach, where the dunes end, go round to the left in front of the River Tyne estuary until you are walking behind the dunes, next to the area of salt marsh to the right. Cross this after about two-thirds of a mile and about another 500 yards further on a sign indicates the way to re-cross and return to the beach, from where you can cross the bridge over the Biel Water. If the tide has come in (to check, go to ^{www.bbc.co.uk/weather/coast/tides ) don’t re-cross the marsh but go further inland for about 20 yards and turn left, along a path which reaches a wall, goes round to the right and reaches the other bridge over Biel Water. Cross this, go left and follow a path to a road where you go left to reach the bridge on the beach.}

From there, retrace your steps along the cliff top trail.

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