Weekend wandering around East Lothian

Last weekend was busy but so enjoyable that I thought you might like to see a few of the sights. 

We headed down the east coast of Scotland to East Lothian.

Here's a map to help you locate the area if you're not familiar with the location. 

(Courtesy of Google)

We were helping our daughter relocate, so the car was fit to pop with boxes and belongings.

But once offloaded we were free to explore the area. 

The weather was really kind to us and we were able to appreciate the area and warmth of the sun.

It's much drier on the East coast than the West. Maybe that's one of the reasons why I'm on this side of Scotland. 

Here's the River Tyne (not to be confused with the one in the North East of England) crashing through rocks at East Linton.

The bridge at East Linton, which once carried The Great North Road, forms the backdrop to a spectacular scene at the Linn Rocks. 

I couln't help myself traversing the rocks to get better photos of the waterfall, river and bridge. 

My daughter has seen kingfishers feeding at this particular spot but I wasn't so lucky. 

There's also otters been spotted. 

I'd have probably fallen in with my excitment if I had seen them, so maybe it's just as well I didn't. 

I just wish I'd taken more photo's... not only of the river bank with it's elegant willows dipping over the water, but also the incredible buildings and attractive architecture. 

All of these things have combined over the years to make East Linton a natural haven for artists.

The roar from the water was incredibly loud and I was aware that I wasn't wearing appropriate footwear but it was all worth the risk.

I'm hoping that I manage to name all of the photo's correctly because our tour guide (our daughter) was incredibly efficient in showing us as much of the area as possible.

But there was time to stop and take in a view and have a walk.

The photo below was Seacliff beach and I have to say was stunning.

Seacliff comprises a beach, an estate and a habour. 

We had to pay to enter the beach... but I thought £2 was a reasonable amount.

(There are lots of beaches with no charge for admission but this one is part of a private estate) 

Can you spot the lifeboat on manoeuvres? 

The island just off centre of the photo is Bass Rock which is a volcanic rock which homes a large colony of gannets. 

At certain times of the year the rock looks white just by the amount of birds perched on the island. 

There are boat trips to the island which hopefully we'll manage to fit in on another day. 

There's also masses of history revolving around the island. 

It has a lighthouse too.

I couldn't resist taking this photo even though some were nervous about me perching so near to the edge. 

I just don't get it.

 The guy fishing just stood there... heaven knows how long he'd been there and he didn't even have a seat. Just a couple of fishing rods balanced on stands. 

Maybe he was contemplating the meaning of life or something. 

The glorious blue sky was incredible.

I was quite envious of the riders below enjoying riding along the beach. 

The last time I did that was over 12,000 miles away and the temperature was certainly a little warmer. 

It's a good job we had had a huge Full Scottish Breakfast to sustain us over the day... especially with all our exploring and walking. 

Even Muffy was like a racehorse over the sand. 

I've honestly never seen her run so much. 

I thought she'd sieze up the next day and not be able to walk with so much exercise. 

She's not bad for an old girl 

Two surprises await at this end of the beach. 

The first is the view of Tantallon Castle that emerged from behind the headland. The second is an incredible harbour that has been carved out of the rocks of a feature known as the Gegan. This was constructed in 1890 by Andrew Laidley, the then laird, who used a steam engine and compressed air to cut the stone. Even with the technology of the day, this must have been a daunting project.

It has been claimed that the harbour is Scotland's smallest. It's certainly Scotland's most unexpected and one of it's most intriguing harbours.

(If you'd like to read more about this area with all of it's history then click here)

A pit stop was certainly needed after so much exploring, so we headed into North Berwick for a coffee (or cuppa in my case) and a cakee.

We decided to visit the Steampunk Coffee  cafe which is a fantastic coffee shop set in a warehouse that roasts it's own coffee, plus has delicious cakes and snacks.
Both my hubby and daughter raved about the coffee. 

Apparently, it was best coffee that they'd had since leaving Melbourne! 

I loved the fact that they had a live DJ who played brilliant vinyl records that just had the right jazzy sound for a Sunday afternoon. 

The atmosphere was great and would certainly be a favourite pit stop for me if I lived in North Berwick. 

My hubby became besotted as soon as we sat down, but who would have guessed it would be an old wood stove! 

He couldn't take his eyes off her!

Here she is...

If you'd like to visit Steampunk coffee or learn more about their ethos then click here

I must add that Mufftypup was allowed in too and although she's very well behaved I still find this amazing that places ie cafe's and pubs will allow dogs into their premises.
I was worried about taking her away for the weekend but thanks to this symbol displayed in so many places all my worries were unnecessary.
She was very happy too curled up under the tables all cosy and resting before the next adventure.

With all the talk about cuppa's and refreshments I need to grab a little something before we head out tonight. I know going out on a school night... there's no stopping us!!!

Have a great week everyone until we meet again.