West Barns to Dunglass, Cockburnspath - Lothian
Ninth (final) leg of a 90-mile walk across the whole of the Lothians, using quiet footpaths, country parks, disused railway lines, river banks, tracks and the occasional minor road.
A
East Lothian walk
posted on 08/08/22 by Roy's Edimburg Walks. Last update : 08/08/22
Description
Start : West Barns (East end at the Edinburgh Rd, High St, Shore Rd crossroads)
(S) From the Eastern end of West Barns, at the Edinburgh Rd, High St, Shore Rd crossroads. Follow Beveridge Row 300m to the South-East (inland) to pass beneath the main railway line.
(1) In a further 200m go left (East) between sandstone gate pillars. The route follows a lane as it curves along between fields and then trees. At a cottage you follow ahead passing through a semi-ornamental gateway and along a more minor track into woodland (A).
(2) Soon you cross Kelly Rd. to continue straight onwards, at the back of housing. Beyond the housing, keep ahead, through a slightly more open suburbia, to cross Lochend Rd. Here strike slightly left, behind Ashfield Store, into the housing estate. Follow Warrender Cres. as it bends right-left-right, giving glimpses of Dunbar church in the distance.
(3) Bear left to enter Ashfield Court which leads towards some distinctive (flat concrete) mid-rise housing. To the left of the housing a footpath leads beside a small grassy area to steps, between stone walls, which lead downward.
(4) Once down the steps/alley turn left and follow Spott Rd northward, under the main railway line, and on towards the coast. At the T-junction, of the main A1087, turn right along the pavement. Cross over. 150 m brings a left-turn down Golf House Rd. At the bottom join the John Muir Way.
(5) Head right, along the Esplanade. Follow the esplanade to its end. A minor road leads on through the golf course. Where appropriate bear left and follow the coast. Easy walking along the coastal path takes you 9 km to your journey end at Dunglass. At the very far end of the golf links a cement works (B) is passed. Soon afterwards arrive at the Whitesands toilet block.
(6) From Whitesands follow the coast. Either proceed through the dunes or else closer to the coast (Barns Ness (C) - geology trail and lighthouse). Torness (Point and power station) is seen ahead.
(7) The Way passes Skateraw (D) and then the power station (E) on its seaward side. Next, after passing caravans and a pleasant sandy beach, the path rises (to cross a stream) and then returns seawards to follow along on the landward side of an old wall.
(8) After passing two long fields, cross another stream, and then head down to proceed along more beach. In some 400m, at the end of this pleasant beach, find a path which strikes inland into woods.
(9) You arrive at cottages and five(!) bridges which cross the river Dunglass. This is the far eastern boundary of the Lothians (F).
The uppermost of the bridges (a minor road bridge, inland from the rail bridge and near the entrance to Dunglass Collegiate Church) marks the true end of the Lothian-90 walk. (E)
Eve’s Buses call here at Dunglass on certain days. On most other days you will need to cross the river Dunglass by the minor road bridge. A marked footpath leads upstream. After 500 m, turn left to pass alongside trees and so arrive in Cockburnspath.
At Cockburnpath. The bus stop (for the Perryman’s Berwick-Edinburgh service) is located on the far, seaward edge of the village, near the bowling-green.
Waypoints
- S : km 0 - alt. 8 m - West Barns, at the Edinburgh Rd, High St, Shore Rd
- 1 : km 0.69 - alt. 19 m - Main railway line
- 2 : km 1.67 - alt. 17 m - Woodland - Kelly Rd.
- 3 : km 2.51 - alt. 15 m - Ashfield Court
- 4 : km 2.69 - alt. 16 m - Steps/alley
- 5 : km 3.19 - alt. 7 m - John Muir Way
- 6 : km 6.54 - alt. 8 m - Whitesands
- 7 : km 10.62 - alt. 5 m - The Way passes Skateraw
- 8 : km 14.67 - alt. 26 m - Stream
- 9 : km 17.02 - alt. 31 m - Five(!) bridges
- E : km 19.09 - alt. 70 m - Cockburnpath
Useful Information
Start : West Barns (East end at the Edinburgh Rd, High St, Shore Rd crossroads)
End : Dunglass (Cockburnspath)
Transport :
- Walk start. West Barns (East end, bus stop at cross roads of Beveridge Row and Edinburgh Rd.) First 106/X6, Perryman's. (Buses typically every hour from Edinburgh).
- Walk end. Cockburnpath. Perryman’s Berwick-Edinburgh bus service. Roughly every 2 hours. Eve’s Buses call here at Dunglass on certain days. On most other days you will need to cross the river Dunglass by the minor road bridge. A marked footpath leads upstream. After 500 m, turn left to pass alongside trees and so arrive in Cockburnspath. At Cockburnpath. The bus stop (for the Perryman’s Berwick-Edinburgh service) is located on the far, seaward edge of the village, near the bowling-green.
More information at Roy's Edimburg Walks website here.
Always stay careful and alert while following a route. Visorando and the author of this walk cannot be held responsible in the event of an accident during this route.
During the walk or to do/see around
(A) Lochend Woods, Dunbar – the woods are part of what was once the Lochend Estate and contain the old garden and some ruins. The trees now growing (mostly Sycamore and Scots Pine) were planted after the 2nd World War, the previous trees having been cleared and used to help the war effort.
(B) Cement works - opened in 1963, now operated by Lafarge Tarmac. In the 1950s the need for a modern cement works in Scotland was identified (in order to provide a cheaper and more reliable source of cement, rather than bringing supplies from England).
(C) Barns Ness Lighthouse - constructed 1901 from stone quarried near Cramond. The stone proved resilient when the lighthouse was machine-gunned (from the air soon after the start of the Second World War) - it sustained no damage.
(D) Skateraw Harbour and limekiln - Constructed in early 1800s to ship limestone to ironworks in Devon and receive coal in return. Outcrops of limestone can still be seen beneath the kiln.
(E) Torness nuclear power station - was the last of the United Kingdom's second generation nuclear power plants to be commissioned. It was commissioned in 1988. The station consists of two advanced gas-cooled reactors capable of producing 1360 MW. It is expected to operate until at least 2023. In June 2011 both reactors were manually shut down due to reduced flow (blockage) of the sea water at intakes by a large mass of jellyfish. With over 600 staff, Torness is one of the largest employers in East Lothian. The station includes a visitor centre.
(F) Dunglass – the burn flowing through this small hamlet is the historical boundary between the counties of Haddingtonshire (East Lothian) and Berwickshire. A 15th-century Dunglass Collegiate Church is now in the care of Historic Scotland. The handsome cross-shaped building contains a vaulted nave, choir and transepts, all with stone slab roofs. By the time James VI stayed at Dunglass in 1603 – his last night on Scottish soil before proceeding to England and his coronation as James I – the church of St Mary the Virgin had already begun its decline into ruin.
Notes
Background notes to all nine "Lothian Transect Route" walks. Lothian is the region of the Scottish Lowlands lying between the Firth of Forth and the Southern Uplands. It encompasses the old, historic counties of West Lothian, Edinburghshire (Midlothian), and East Lothian. The complete ‘Lothian Transect Route' crosses the whole of the Lothians, from its far western edge (Harthill) to its most easterly point (Dunglass), in nine 10-mile long sections. All nine legs have been designed to begin and end at places well served by public transport.
West Lothian sits astride the main routes between Edinburgh and the west. Originally a pleasant, fertile and well-wooded county, West Lothian became industrialised from the 1840s onwards. First ironstone, then coal and shale mining dotted the landscape with bings. Today the remaining bings are treasured as industrial monuments - the pink ones are shale, the grey ones coal. Since WWII the heavy industry has gone and been replaced by electronics and service industries. Thousands of houses came with the development of Livingstone New Town. Such overspill towns were an ambitious post-WWII attempt to meet Scotland’s housing challenge, caused by the shortage in the big cities. Despite all these C19th and C20th developments it is possible to walk across West Lothian along quiet footpaths, through pleasant community woodlands, over reclaimed bings, along riversides and though old country parks.
Midlothian provides more space and solitude. The transect route crosses through the Pentland Hills, ever popular with hill walkers or outdoor enthusiasts, and then onward through more old mining and manufacturing areas into a rich agricultural landscape. Old railway lines nowadays provide handy walking and cycling paths.
East Lothian is one of the most picturesque areas of Scotland. It also had an extremely important agricultural and industrial past. Officially the sunniest and driest area in Scotland, it has a gentle, open aspect and is home to a rich variety of wildlife. It is bounded on the south by the Lammermuir Hills and stretches eastwards to the boundary with Scottish Borders at Dunglass.
