Find your way around North Berwick, Dirleton, Gullane, Aberlady and Longniddry

FIRST THINGS FIRST! The best way of finding your away around North Berwick is to purchase a copy of Ronald P A Smith's Haddington/Dunbar/North Berwick Street Plan, available from local retail outlets. First published in 2003, the map includes coloured coverage of North Berwick, Dirleton, Gullane, Aberlady and Longniddry (as well as Haddington, Dunbar, East Linton and Gifford) at the large scale of 8 inches to 1 mile (1:7500), considerably larger than any other similar maps available, and consequently the most detailed town map of its kind, aimed at walkers/pedestrians as well as motorists and commercial drivers.  It forms part of the only series of Scottish street maps with comprehensive indexes and locations of antiquities and places of interest; leisure facilities; schools and colleges; places of worship; health and welfare facilities; and other information including the locations of industrial estates, emergency services, etc.  Together with the Musselburgh/Tranent/Prestonpans Street Plan, it provides detailed coverage of all the towns and main villages in East Lothian.

To order by post direct from the publisher, please click on the 'Map Ordering' button at the top of this web page.

ROYAL BURGH OF NORTH BERWICK

North Berwick is an attractive holiday resort and residential town, strategically situated on the southern shores of the Firth of Forth (1991 resident population: 5,687). The town received its Royal Burgh charter around 1425, but, from the 12th century, it had been a medieval barony belonging to the Earls of Fife.  In early times, it was an important ferry port linked to Earlsferry in Fife, the ferry being used by pilgrims destined for St Andrews.
 
By the 19th century, fishing was the town's main industry, but not long afterwards, the pleasantness of the surroundings, the establishment of golf courtses and the opening of the railway led to its development as a notable tourist resort. Today, it is still a very pleasant and interesting place to visit, and while comparatively few people now spend their whole fortnight's holiday in the town, it is a great place for a day out or for a few days' break!  The town is readily accessible by road and rail, with frequent services to and from Edinburgh Waverley Station.

Antiquities and Places of Interest

Harbour - The yacht-filled North Berwick Harbour (right) is an ancient anchorage, but assumed its present form in the late 19th century.  The 18th century warehouses in the background have been converted into flats. Nearby was once a renowned open-air swimming pool, its site now a boat park.

Scottish Seabird Centre - This modern building by the shore has replaced the outdoor swimming pool as the main visitor attraction on Kirk Ness, North Berwick's rocky headland.  It is an award-winning wildlife centre with high-powered cameras focussing on the important seabird colonies on the Bass Rock.  Nearby is the North Berwick Lifeboat station, a place of interest in itself, while, to the east and west, stretch the sandy beaches for which North Berwick is famous.

Town House - At the corner of Quality Street (pictured left) and the High Street (with its good range of shops, both for locals and visitors) is the characteristic Town House with its outside stair and clocktower.

Tourist Information Centre - Also in Quality Street is the Tourist Information Centre where detailed local information (including publications) and assistance with travel accommodation can be obtained.  Nearby are the the Lodge Grounds, an extensive and particularly attractive public park with flower gardens, aviaries and children's play facilities, while along the shore to the east, overlooking the beach and the golf course, putting green and tennis courts on the East Links, is the Castle Hill, an excellent viewpoint.

Old St Andrew's Church - The remains of the old parish church, off Law Road, date from 1589.  In the grounds are a number of ancient gravestones, as old as 1706.  The previous church building, also dedicated to St Andrew, was situated on the town's headland, or Kirk Ness, near the Scottish Seabird Centre, where scanty ruins in need of better maintenance may be seen.  In 1882, the church was relocated for a third time to the High Street - the present St Andrew Blackadder Church with its fine tower.

Cistercian Nunnery - North Berwick was the location of a comparatively little-known Cistercian Nunnery which was founded prior to 1177 and abandoned by 1586, after the Reformation.  Its ruins stand to the west of the town centre in the grounds of a home for the elderly off Old Abbey Road.

North Berwick Law - Within easy walking distance of the town centre (or a short drive to the ample car park), North Berwick Law rises abruptly from the East Lothian coastal plain.  It is a notable landmark, seen from far and wide, and is easily climbed for one of the most extensive views in Scotland.  On top are several structures of interest, including an ancient chapel, a whalebone arch, a direction indicator, and concrete wartime remains.
 
 

Nearby Villages
 
To the west of North Berwick, towards Edinburgh, is a string of attractive residential villages and golf courses.  Dirleton, the first of these communities, is a charming village with a central green, an ancient castle and an interesting old parish church.  Further west is the golfing community of Gullane, home of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers at Muirfield, amongst other golf clubs.  Aberlady is next, with its wildlife reserve in Aberlady Bay, parish church and mercat cross.  Finally, there is the large dormitory village of Longniddry with its beaches, golf course, and railway station on the east coast main line.

We hope that this information on North Berwick (and nearby villages) has whetted your appetite for a visit to the town - and remember to buy R P A Smith's Haddington/Dunbar/North Berwick Street Plan to find your way around!