Daytrip of East Lothian’s coast

The title sprays it all. This post is just here to show some pictures I took while walking the coast from Musselburgh to Dunbar, most of it at least.

The route map. GPS was set to low interval, thus inaccurate up close. About 63 kilometres all-in-all. Takes about 16 hours if you stop for photos every ten minutes and grab an iced coffee at North Berwick. Don’t run out of water by confidently making three cups of tea at Seacliff. You will hate yourself and shamble, dehydrated, for the final stretch.

To anyone doing the John Muir Way, sticking to the coast within reason and then using the A198 once you run out of paths to walk on is a fine alternative to the slightly more inland route. You’d also most likely do this over two days instead of one, given the fact that it’s 63 km and anyone doing long-distance hiking as opposed to a day-trip would have more on them and wouldn’t be mad enough to try their luck with their blister-covered feet by this point.

I’m unsure as to whether the final clip past Tantallon actually had a more coastal route that could have been followed. I only had three hours until the last bus (to cover ten miles no less, after already having gone about 45 km) and thus did not check. Perhaps next time I do this which I will I will be able to report on that. Who knows, they might even alter the John Muir to not follow as depressing a route for the final segment from North Berwick to Dunbar.

Anyway, here are the images. There are a lot of them in the album. There’s even a picture of myself in there, if you make it that far! xD

https://imgur.com/a/d77bhrO

I’ll even give you some of my favourites. *smirk*

Bass Rock, aka Seagull Hellhole. You see those little white specs? Seagulls… presumably. You see the little white specs all over the actual island that look like granulation? Mother Fucking Seagulls.

Seacliff Beach. Windy, cold, and somehow simultaneously tropical.

Interesting insect that I have no clue about. Looks great though! Six-spot burnet apparently?

Another interesting bug! I didn’t poke it, not at all. Cinnabar Moth Caterpillar, apparently?

Lil’ rocky place with beautiful lichens.

Another beautiful cove! Follow the path and you’ll find it! C:

The stench-ridden backbone of something long gone. Probably best if I didn’t poke it with my hiking pole. Jesus christ the smell.

Aberlady Sands. Mother of christ I’ve never ever been to such a good looking beach before.

Closeup of a bee on… some sort of Circium (genus)

Photo of the A198 before I hid away the camera and the sun started to hit the horizon. Totally got Kansas vibes, even without the tornadoes (or the corn, so I’ve been informed xD). I prefer the softer version, but the sharpened clarified version seems popular.

Lichen-crusted rocks

Loads of old shells and stuff under a stagnant pool. You’ll find this on the outcrop of rocks along the way, about 3-4 km before North Berwick. It has to be low tide, or it won’t be happening.

Not sure about what these outlets are called but… yeh? o,o

Tantallon with Bass Rock in the background.

Post-sunset, taken on my P30 Lite before the battery died and I ran out of water and/or food :_:

Anyway, that’s that. I recommend using the Imgur album if you want to see all of them, but those are just my favourites (I’m a bit of a panorama fan, if you can’t tell… I’ll panorama just about anything, effort be damned.)

Thanks for reading/looking if you did make it this far! ^.^