The

Berwickshire Berwickshire (; ) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in south-eastern Scotland, on the English border. The county takes its name from Berwick-upon-Tweed, its original county town, which was part of Scotland at the ...

Coastal Path is a walking route some long. It follows the eastern coastline of Scotland from

Cockburnspath Cockburnspath ( ) is a village in Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders. It lies near the North Sea coast between Berwick-upon-Tweed and Dunbar. Cockburnspath is the eastern terminus of the Southern Upland Way as well as the northern terminus of ...

in the

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by West Lothian, Edinburgh, Midlothian, and East Lothian to the north, the North Sea to the east, Dumfries and Galloway to the south-west, South Lanarkshire to the we ...

Berwick upon Tweed Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census recor ...

, just over the border in England. At Cockburnspath the path links with the Southern Upland Way and the

John Muir Way The John Muir Way is a continuous Long-distance trail, long-distance route in southern Scotland, running from Helensburgh, Argyll and Bute in the west to Dunbar, East Lothian in the east. It is named in honour of the Scottish conservation ...

. The coastline traversed by the path is nationally and internationally important for

seabirds Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same envi ...

, coastal

flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...

and marine life: much of the coastline is protected as a

Special Protection Area A special protection area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and cer ...

, and there is a national nature reserve at St Abbs Head which is owned by the

National Trust for Scotland The National Trust for Scotland () is a Scottish Building preservation and conservation trusts in the UK, conservation organisation. It is the largest membership organisation in Scotland and describes itself as "the charity that cares for, sha ...

. Strong walkers can walk the route in two days, although the walk can be split into shorter sections to allow more time to explore the towns and villages along the way. The path was developed by

Scottish Borders Council The Scottish Borders is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by West Lothian, Edinburgh, Midlothian, and East Lothian to the north, the North Sea to the east, Dumfries and Galloway to the south-west, South Lanarkshire to the ...

, and is now designated as one of

Scotland's Great Trails Scotland's Great Trails are long-distance "people-powered" trails in Scotland, analogous to the National Trails of England and Wales or the Grande Randonnée paths of France. The designated routes are primarily intended for walkers, but may have ...

NatureScot NatureScot () is an Scottish public bodies#Executive NDPBs, executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government responsible for Scotland’s natural heritage, especially its nature, natural, genetics, genetic and scenic diversity. ...

. The route is waymarked, and there are four memorial statues at

Eyemouth Eyemouth is a town and civil parishes in Scotland, civil parish in Berwickshire, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It is east of the main north–south A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road and north of Berwick-upon-Tweed. The town's name ...

Burnmouth Burnmouth is a small fishing village located adjacent to the A1 road on the east coast of Scotland. It is the first village in Scotland on the A1, after crossing the border with England. Burnmouth is located in the Parish of Ayton, in the ...

, St Abbs and

Cove A cove is a small bay or coastal inlet. They usually have narrow, restricted entrances, are often circular or oval, and are often situated within a larger bay. Small, narrow, sheltered bays, inlets, creek (tidal), creeks, or recesses in a coast ...

to commemorate the 189 lives lost in the Eyemouth disaster of 14 October 1881, when a hurricane devastated the fishing fleet. Twelve

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

trail markers have also been erected along the route, linking the memorial sculptures. It connects with the

Northumberland Coast Path The Northumberland Coast Path is a long distance path in Northumberland in northern England. It now forms part of the England Coast Path. The path starts at Cresswell and then heads north along the coast through Amble and Warkworth, where i ...

and hence the

England Coast Path The King Charles III England Coast Path (KCIIIECP), originally and still commonly known as the England Coast Path, is a long-distance National Trail that will follow the coastline of England. When complete, it will be long. Various parts of t ...

at Berwick on Tweed."Northumberland Coast Path", Long Distance Walkers Association
/ref>

The route

As walked in three stages.

Stage 1

Starting in Cockburnspath, the first section of the Berwickshire Coastal Path is a gentle introduction with easy walking above

harbour and through farmland with some sections on minor roads to finish at Dowlaw. 12 km (7.5 miles)

Stage 2

A gentle start through farmland soon leads on to the most dramatic section of the Berwickshire Coastal Path, leading along the rim of cliffs high above the sea. There is a fair amount of up and downhill as the route continues to the national nature reserve at St Abb's Head, famed for its seabirds, and on to the fishing village itself. The path then goes along the clifftops and beaches to reach the fishing port of Eyemouth. 17 km (10.5 miles)

Stage 3

The final stage runs from

to Berwick-upon-Tweed. Once a haven for smugglers, Eyemouth is now mainly a fishing port and a base for tourists. The port is a home to a fleet of about 20 fishing boats and in the summer this number can double. The route runs along the cliff tops, crossing the Border at

Marshall Meadows Bay __NOTOC__ Marshall Meadows Bay is a small bay located on the Northumberland coast, England, north of Berwick-upon-Tweed Just to the north of the bay lies the Anglo-Scottish border and the northernmost point of England. Across the border in Scotla ...

and on to Berwick-upon-Tweed in England. 19 km (11.75 miles) Berwickshire Coastal Path at Marshall Meadows - geograph

Nearby attractions

Pease Bay, Fast Castle, St Abbs Head,

Coldingham Coldingham is a village and parish in Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders. It lies a short distance inland from Coldingham Bay, three miles northeast of the fishing village of Eyemouth. Parish The parish lies in the east of the Lammermuir ...

, Gunsgreen House, Berwick Upon Tweed.

References

{{coord, 55.93295, -2.36018, region:GB-SCB_type:landmark, display=title Footpaths in the Scottish Borders Coastal paths in Scotland Berwickshire Scotland's Great Trails