Day 2 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

This morning, I woke up to my car absolutely caked in bird poo… the joys of the seaside! At least the gulls are in the right place though, and not trying to get a maccies out of the bin by the Guildhall in Worcester. We knew the weather wouldn’t be on our side today, so planned a day with easy access to cafes and bars should we need to take shelter.

Cove harbour A hidden gem and an absolute treat! There are signs up saying please don’t post this place on social media.. but I’m assuming that’s more for someone who is an actual influencer 🤣 Cove has been a haven for fisherman since the 17th century, and is still in use today by a couple of small boats. There are no facilities here, and that includes no toilets. Luckily Santa was able to hold his bladder on this occasion… but the complete lack of anything means it’s the perfect place to just sit and admire the scenery and listen to the lapping of the waters. On one side are the pier houses, which are no longer lived in and only used to house fishing equipment. On the other side, once you’ve braved the pitch black tunnel, is a small beach. It’s such a stunning area, and the small car park perched on the cliff top means only a few groups of people can be there at any one time.

Oldhamstocks This was a special visit for Momma to find the final resting place of her great great aunt, who had a farm in the area. Luckily, one of the residents has put together a graveyard map, meaning we were able to find it relatively quickly. It’s a small hidden village full of history and an unusually high proportion of buildings listed for their architectural merit.

Dunbar According to ‘Visit Scotland’ website, Dunbar is “The town is renowned for its high sunshine record.” Obviously, for the entire time we were there, it rained 🤣 so we took shelter in a cafe, and I ordered a cream tea. The waitress came back a few minutes later to let us know they had run out of cream, and they were popping to the shop to get some more. What arrived was actually whipping cream and not clotted cream! So I did the English thing, had a little moan, but then told her everything was lovely. One of Dunbar’s attractions is its ruined castle perched at the entrance to the harbour. Once one of the strongest fortresses in Scotland, it is now a collapsed heap with only a small part remaining. It also has a battery, which offers great views out over the Forth of Firth, and an RNLI shop where Santa got elbow deep in a bucket of balls, and got 12 for £1.50!! If you enjoy a ‘live laugh love’ type quote, there’s the John Muir birthplace museum (free!) which is another great rain dodger to learn about the OG nature man.

Tantallon Castle We spotted this ruin from the road and decided to pull in for a closer look. We very nearly didn’t go in, because the weather was still shite and it was £7.50pp.. however it turns out English Heritage members get in for free, so we were straight through the gate! Tantallon is said to be the last truly great castle built in Scotland. It was besieged by Oliver Cromwell in 1651, and the army caused such destruction that the medieval fortress was abandoned after this last attack. There’s also great views of Bass Rock and lighthouse – home to the largest gannet colony in the world, earning it Sir David Attenborough’s claim to be one of the ‘wildlife wonders of the world’. There is a large part of the ruins still open to explore, so was definitely worth the entrance fee that we didn’t have to pay 🤣

North Berwick Boasting lovely beaches, coastal scenery, colourful buildings and the Scottish Seabird Centre, we really loved North Berwick. They are very rubbish conscious, and everywhere you look, they’ve made art out of all litter found on the beach. It also has plenty of cute shops, but unfortunately, with it being late on Sunday, most of these were closed. We did find an open charity shop, where Santa purchased more balls. The lack of open shops meant one thing.. the pub! We found a fabulous watering hole with plenty of taps and enjoyed the relaxation after a busy day exploring.