Burnmouth to Eyemouth

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Lobster fisherman heading out

We visited Eyemouth several times during our stay in Lower Burnmouth last summer – it’s a pretty little town in itself, but is also the nearest place to buy provisions. One morning, we set out to walk there (and back) on the Berwickshire Coastal Path. As we left, the local lobster fisherman was heading out of the harbour.

The path led us steeply out of Lower Burnmouth towards the clifftops. As we went, we could see our little cottage, The Old Lobster House, retreat further into the distance below us. It’s the little white building opposite the row of coloured houses.

The path reached the road at the upper part of Burnmouth. As the old sign tells us, it’s 6 miles to Berwick and 52 to Edinburgh. The pub is The First and Last – the first or last in Scotland, depending on your direction of travel.

The First and Last
Old mile post
Village sign

I liked this house’s quirky gate and name sign.

Burnmoth gate
Burnmoth nameplate

Before moving on, we stopped for a while to read an information board telling us how Burnmouth used to be a hotbed of smuggling in the 18th century. One notorious family was the Lyalls who organised a raid on the Customs Warehouse in Eyemouth in 1780. John Lyall later moved to Sussex where he became a respected resident, operating ships out of London. His five sons showed how quickly and effectively the family distanced itself from its criminal past: they included a Conservative MP and a Dean of Canterbury. Clearly a talented family on whichever side of the law they operated.

The path then led us down the side of the Village Hall and back on to the cliffs. Burnmouth Harbour and our little house were still in view!

Burnmouth Village Hall
Lower Burnmouth

The clifftops were lined with fields of crops, mainly barley, and wildflowers.

Anabel
Barley field
Wildflowers

We wondered what this brown crop was, and only identified it later. Had we been earlier in the year, these fields would have been bright yellow – it’s oilseed rape.

Oilseed rape
Oilseed rape
Oilseed rape

This was the first, but not the last, day we noticed an abundance of painted lady butterflies. Apparently, last summer was a once in a decade mass emergence when weather conditions and food sources provided ideal conditions for the species to thrive.

Painted lady
Painted lady

Looking out to sea, we admired the folds in the rocks. Geology writ large.

Between Burnmouth and Eyemouth
Between Burnmouth and Eyemouth
Between Burnmouth and Eyemouth

Then Eyemouth came into view, and we were almost there.

After spending the afternoon in Eyemouth we had to walk back. Remember The First and Last in Burnmouth? We naturally stopped for a beer and some good pub grub. I liked the way it was decorated with old advertising boards.

Old advertisment
Old advertisment
Old advertisment
Old advertisment
Old advertisment
Old advertisment

Then it was down the hill again, home to The Old Lobster House. Next time, I’ll show you round Eyemouth itself.

Linked to Jo’s Monday Walks.

Scotland, UK , , , ,

58 Comments »

  1. Pingback: Jo’s Monday walk : Beyond the hill | restlessjo

  2. Anabel, You remind me how lobster is available from Scotland harbours. On our West Coast, we have wonderful, fresh crab. No lobster. You likely know lobsters are found on the East Coast of Canada. Our last fresh lobster was in P.E.I. A beautiful area for a walk. Great photos! You and your husband definitely wear off the pub food and beer.🙂

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  3. My walk would have ended real quick when I noticed the abundance of butterflies! I know it’s a ridiculous phobia to have, but they just really freak me out. I would have been running away whilst waving my arms in the air so they didn’t come near me. Just leave me in the pub with the signs and a bowl of cheesy chips!

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  6. There can’t be many places left to write about in Scotland. I feel I know the country so well now, thanks to your great posts and pictures.

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  7. Couple of other things. When I first read it the title I thought it said Bournemouth to Eyemouth and I thought ‘that’s a long way’ and I really like that milestone.

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  11. Another lovely fishing village and I too enjoy coastal walks. I think they make us stop more often to appreciate the views than a bushwalk.

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    • I think we might have visited the pub more if we hadn’t had to climb the hill from Lower Burnside to get there! This was an excellent opportunity when we were at the top anyway. I can’t remember if lobster was on the menu – as a veggie I wouldn’t have been interested – but the cottage owners helpfully left the phone number of the local lobster fisherman so we could have contacted him if we’d wanted one.

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  14. I know that a burn is a stream. Are places with the name “mouth” at the end always located at the mouth of a stream, or does it mean something else entirely?

    The walk looks very lovely with excellent destinations at either end! I like how you pick out little details that many people would just blow on by. Architecture, crops, historical signs, etc.

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  18. What a scenic walk. Coastal scenery is the best! I remember there being loads of Painted Ladies out last summer. Maybe a bit early to see them yet this year. X

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  19. Hi Anabel – I’m sure you’ll be amazed – I think I came across Eyemouth and the Lyall family when I was researching Eastbourne’s history about groynes (shipping and the pier would have blessed the engineering achievements of those Victorians) … small world – now I’ll have to search again to satisfy my curiosity as to where these two appeared to me recently: not helpful!! Possibly in my book – on the Tradescants. That walk looks quite amazing and what a fabulous walk you took – you’d have deserved the pub grub at the end! Take care – Hilary

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  21. I love those coastal views. Thanks for taking me on that hike – virtually – so that I didn’t have to do all that walking myself. 😉

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