Within a week of my first post-lockdown venture to Glasgow, I made a day trip by train to the attractive East Lothian seaside town of North Berwick. It’s a very pleasant place, stretching around two bays (East Bay and West Bay), and it regularly vies with St Andrews to be Scotland’s most expensive seaside town, in terms of house prices. Its attraction is boosted by a regular, electrified rail service to Edinburgh, which largely consists of a run along the East Coast Main Line, followed by a short, terminating stub into the town.
North Berwick was a boyhood favourite of Edinburgh-born novelist and globetrotter Robert Louis Stevenson, although no doubt the holiday decisions were made by his parents. The town has two standout attractions, neither of which I have ever visited. First, there is North Berwick Law, a substantial hill that is an ancient volcanic plug and which today reputedly provides good views of the town and the nearby Bass Rock. Secondly, there is the Scottish Seabird Centre, situated next to the harbour. One day I shall get around to visiting both, but on this visit, as ever, I was content simply to explore the town’s streets and have a nice lunch.
