North Berwick

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We spent the recent Bank Holiday weekend in North Berwick in East Lothian. Our friends from Yorkshire drove up to meet us and we stayed in the beautiful Royal Apartments, complete with view over the harbour and Bass Rock. Confession: the shot on the balcony is staged. Despite the sun, it was very cold and we headed back inside to finish our G&Ts as soon as John pressed the shutter.

Balcony view
Balcony view
Balcony
Living room
Kitchen
Bedroom 1
Bedroom 2

Although we’ve visited North Berwick several times as day-trippers, this was the first time we’d stayed in the town. John, however, spent several family holidays there in his youth – and thereby hangs a tale (or two). The Royal Apartments are built on the site of the old Royal Hotel where a very small John persuaded his even smaller brother and sister to turn the taps on in the basin to the point of flooding. “No, Mummy, it wasn’t me!” Tsk, tsk.

On Saturday morning, we took the Three Islands Seabird Seafari around the Lamb, Craigleith and the Bass Rock. All were teeming with bird-life: the Bass Rock is home to over 150,000 gannets at the peak of the season. The trip, in a 12-seater RIB (rigid inflatable boat) was choppy – and just this side of unsettling. First, we had to don our waterproofs.

RIB
John, Kenn, Val
Anabel, Kenn, Val

Then we set off. I can’t remember which birds were from which island, but by the foghorn and lighthouse we had reached the Bass Rock. We had good views back to the Rock and forward to Tantallon Castle on the return journey to the harbour.

Picture: Kenn Hunter
Tantallon Castle
Bass Rock

On another family holiday, a teenage John and his cousin decided to row out to the Bass Rock from the beach near Tantallon. When their mothers discovered what they had done, they called out the lifeboat – but the boys got back before they had to be rescued. To (belatedly) salve his conscience, John popped a generous donation into the Royal National Lifeboat Institution collecting tin on Saturday afternoon.

There’s more to come on our East Lothian trip – though without the embarrassing (for John) family recollections.

 

Scotland, UK , ,

38 Comments »

      • I used to feel like that with the Big T. I could never understand how we could photograph the same thing and get such different results. I persevered, and while he still takes better portraits than me, I think I see through a photographer’s eyes more now. Plus I always have my camera handy and he tends to forget his. Hehe.

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  2. These are lovely photos! A very good friend of mine (here in Perth Australia) hails from North Berwick and has just come back from a trip home to see her family there. It looks and sounds a lovely place albeit a bit on the cold side!

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  3. finally had a bit of a catch up – love those bird shots! but not sure sure about the trip out to get them (basically looks too cold!) i am ashamed to say i have never seem the herm puffins- a stone’s throw away.
    suffering from the “there is never enough time to blog in guernsey”

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  7. That bird with the red beak is so cute, and that’s coming from a person who generally dislikes birds. Glad to have read in the comment above that the seal shown in the pictures is not all alone in the world because I agree he does look quite lonely. Wondering how many adults even remember the trouble they caused others as kids let alone feel guilty about it.

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    • Yes, plenty of seals but dotted about and because their colour didn’t stand out against the rocks in the same way, they weren’t as photogenic as the birds. Teenage John was indignant at the humiliation of the lifeboat being called out when they didn’t need rescuing. Adult John sees the folly of his ways! I’m just horrified when I look at the distance they rowed and feel the currents.

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  8. Thanks for the confession that the shot on the balcony was staged. It was a big puzzle for me when I was in Gothenburg, Sweden with 8 deg C, which feels like 4 deg C on how people could lounge outside with less clothing than mine!

    Thanks for the photos of the birds too 🙂 Such nice sights to see!

    Whilst the A-Z April Challenge is rounding up to a close, yes I am happy to take a rest and will probably blog on twice or thrice a week for now. But of course, I’ll see you around bloggers.

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    • I think it’s what you’re used to! We went to Italy at Easter once and to us it was t-shirt weather, but they were wearing fur coats. Yes – let’s hope we can all keep in touch.

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  9. That sounds like a lot of gannets! I don’t think I’ve ever been anywhere with that many birds. 🙂 We’ve been catching up on the show Planet Earth, and it has some shots of bird migrations that are simply incredible. I think if I was anywhere near them I would have to duck!

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  10. This looks like you had a lovely time. Your hubby was a bit of a stinker:) This must talked about today in honour of Mother’s Day here in Canada and the U.S. 🙂 These are great pictures. The seal looks so lonely

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  11. Funny enough, we were not to far from you, we spent the full day around Dunbar. It’s a corner of Scotland I have never properly explored however after just a day there I feel a need to go back. So much to see and photograph! I hate going on boats on deep water but seeing some of those pictures I now have the urge to go on one. Smashing post Anabel.

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  13. Wonderful photos! It really does make me want to go. I might even enjoy the boat trip. Thanks for sharing. Oh btw. This is the second time today I’ve read G&T on a post from Scotland. What might that be? My first thought was Gin & Tonic 🙂

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  14. I love your photos from the boat trip, though I don’t fancy it myself. When we were in Whitby we went out on an old life boat and that was not my favourite experience; very rocky and a little too close to the water for my liking. 😉

    Cait @ Click’s Clan

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  15. Sounds like a great trip and the blue skies make it look warm!! We spent the bank holiday in Wales – neither blue skies nor heat, it was freezing and so wet. Love the sound of the boat ride and what you got to see – not sure I’m brave enough for a RIB though!!

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  16. The apartment looks lovely Anabel and I’d really like to go on the boat trip. I’ve been to North Berwick a few times as a child and took my sons to the Seabird centre years ago but this post makes me want to go back again. Another place to add to my ‘must visit’ list!

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