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Overview

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North Berwick

East Lothian

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North Berwick
home of the
Scottish Seabird Centre

Scottish Seabird Centre, February 2004 - entrance ramp

Pioneered by Bill Gardner, and opened by Prince Charles on Sunday 20th May 2000, the Seabird Centre is not "just another visitor centre" but a place for serious ornithology, delivered with imagination and a lightness of touch that makes it a great experience for all ages and abilities.   Best of all, the enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff are happy to chat about the exhibits, or to guide attempts to focus the video cameras on a puffin on Fidra or a gannet on the Bass.   The building is unique.   From the Dunbar road, it seems to be an echo of the islands lying off North Berwick;  
close up, its roof reminds one of a seabird's wing.   Its restaurant is amazing!

Alas, it's no longer quite the architecturally exciting interior that it was:  
in 2001 they extended the floor of the gift-shop/restaurant so you can no longer see what's happening downstairs.


SSC - looking up in the restaurant, 18Feb04

But now there are live links to underwater cameras off the Isle of May
and to a camera on St Kilda in the far, far north-west of Scotland



Where is North Berwick ? At the most northerly point of East Lothian, about 10 miles north and a bit west of Dunbar. It's a bit bigger than Dunbar, with a lovely old town centre where it's very difficult to find parking for a car.


How do we get to North Berwick ?

Take a bus from the cross roads at the foot of Belhaven hill.  


What will we see on the way ?

The bus heads through West Barns to the roundabout at Beltonford, then along the A1 to East Linton.  It doubles back, past picturesque Preston Mill, and through the early 19th century "planned" village of Tyninghame (where there's an interesting coffee shop).
Binning Wood
An 11-year-old's view of the Binning Wood (Primary 7, Longniddry)
Turning left, it climbs a dead-straight switchback road; the Binning Wood (where you may walk, and pick brambles in the autumn) is on the left near the top of the hill, opposite the road to the shore in the northern half of the John Muir Country Park.   Two miles as the crow flies from the A1, the road turns abruptly left, and here under the trees you will see some wonderful spreads of snowdrops in February and March.
Tantallon
Tantallon Castle
The soil here is black, not red as around Dunbar
Then the road curls through Whitekirk (with a very beautiful historic church), passes a newish golf course with restaurant (wonderful views) as it heads towards the sea, turns sharply north (be VERY wary at this corner if you are driving yourself!) and meanders on until you see the huge wall of Tantallon Castle away on your right, with the Bass Rock beyond.   A few more right-angled bends, with whale's jawbone*-crowned (North) Berwick Law rising ahead of you, and (passing Safeway) you'll be in North Berwick.
*The jawbone became dangerous in 2006, and a replica is to be made.


Welcome

picture index

why stay here?

home-from-home

plan & pictures

older pictures

rental rates

Duke Street

secret garden

memories of Belhaven

Overview

village

round about

maps

time-tables

Dunbar

Eating out

North Berwick

East Lothian

external links


Except where otherwise stated, all aerial photos on this site are copyright © Skyviews, 2002, and all other pictures are copyright © WS/RMS, 1998-2002 All photos on this site are copyright © WS/RMS, 1998-2001