Walks East Lothian

Author: Richard Hallewell

Re-walked by Richard Hallewell

It is always a pleasure to re-visit East Lothian: the prosperous, sunny, coastal county directly to the east of Edinburgh. The long coast is a mix of cliffs, mud flats, sand dunes and golf courses (including the famous Muirfield course, at Gullane). Inland is a band of prosperous farmland, backed by the low, heathery peaks of the Lammermuir Hills. The A1 is a busy road, but away from that the eastern half of the county is quiet and rural, with small, picturesque towns and villages. The western half of East Lothian is busier, with the sprawl of Edinburgh leading to a lot of new building around Mussleburgh and Tranent. The walking is varied, with coastal paths, hill-crossings and some excellent woodland walks.

It is a few years since the book has been rewalked, so there are plenty of small changes in the new edition – the usual alterations to gates, stiles, signposting, road access and parking places. The only major change is the addition of the 6 mile/10km riverside path linking East Linton and Haddington. This is a pleasant walk on its own account, with plenty of interest along the way, but it has the added virtue of linking a number of walks which were already in the guide. As a result, it is now possible to walk an unbroken 30 miles/48km, from Dunglass, in the south-east of the county, up the coast to Dunbar, then inland, through East Linton and Haddington, to end at Longniddry – with the option of a spur path past the ruin of Hailes Castle and up to the Iron Age fort on the peak of Traprain Law – using the routes described in the guide. (For those who would rather stick closer to the coast, East Lothian also features the eastern end of the John Muir Way – a Long Distance Path – which is used for a number of the shorter walks in the book.)

While it is not usually thought of as a walking destination, it would be easy to spend an enjoyable week exploring the paths, villages, castles and houses of East Lothian, and there is an excellent range of walks within a small area.

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