The Berwickshire Coastal path runs from Berwick upon Tweed to Cockburnspath covering a distance of 30 miles. Despite walking along the top of impressive cliffs, which would not look out of place on the Cornish coast, the total height gain (for the whole route) is a modest 900 meters according to my map (1060 meters if you trust Wikipedia). I walked the path ‘fast and light’ over two days. My aim was to walk from Berwick to Coldingham Bay on Day One then to Cockburnspath on Day Two. In my case I overshot my proposed end point on the first day and camped instead just shy of St Abbs Head. This proved a far nicer spot for a wild camp. One of the practical appeals of this path is that Dunbar is just a modest bus ride (28 min) from Cockburnspath making it straight forwards to get a fast train (25 min) back to Berwick should you have parked there, as I had, or onwards to home if you have used public transport all the way. Buses only currently run this route on weekdays, so I had to take a taxi to Dunbar as I did the walk over a weekend.
Conclusion
The path had been recommended to me as “Cornwall without all the people” with which I concur. I thoroughly enjoyed all but the final 20% of the route. It is pleasingly dramatic, far more so than the Northumbrian coast path which I walked in 2021. Where I to walk in this area again, I would combine the best of both paths and start from Beal (Opposite Lindisfarne) and walk to Oatley Hill, itself ca. 2 miles beyond St Abbs head. Some of the most impressive cliffs are to be found in this ‘final’ two mile stretch and are thus not to be missed. The official route then becomes less attractive as it takes a big dive inland, and in composed of a tidy bit of road walking interspersed by very muddy fields.
The Details
Day 1 – Berwick-upon-Tweed to just shy of St Abb’s Head (17 miles, 450 m height gain)
I had driven to Berwick the previous evening and slept in the van on a back street not far from the Railway Station. This enabled me to get an early start and enjoy the best weather of the day. I was soon at the coast
The first part of the path is pleasant rather than dramatic, but the sky was clear and blue and it was early enough for no one else to be around so I revelled at being out in the sunshine. Just over five miles brought me to the Scottish border.
From this point on, knowing that I had the freedom to wild camp almost anywhere was liberating. Soon engineering marvels outdid the natural splendour as the path ran right next to the East Coast Main Line.
As you come level with Catcairn Bushes, just before you depart from being directly next to the railway, there is a flattish area protruding into the sea (NT 967,595) perfect for a wild camp and a good place to stop on the amended route I mentioned above. Water could easily be collected en route from one of a number of taps at the static caravan park passed three miles prior to this point. From here the path wiggles down to an unusual coastal hamlet – Burnmouth – which is built right under the cliffs and a stone’s throw from the sea.
The character of this little settlement really reminded me of the fictional village of Greystone in Ann Cleeves novel “The Raging Storm”, where the detective and his team are cut off in the village by wild seas. I could very much see that happening here in Burnmouth too. At this point you leave the railway well behind and enjoy some splendid cliff architecture all the way into the small fishing town of Eyemouth.
The bronze sculpture is a memorial to the loss of 129 fisherman and 20 boats in a great storm of October 1881. It depicts the widows and bairns looking out to sea mourning the loss of their husbands and fathers.
In Eyemouth I can recommend The Ship PH if you feel the need of zymological refreshment. For me, it was a chance to shelter from a strengthening wind and open out my map and plan the rest of the day. I was so far ahead of plan that I wanted to locate an alternative camping spot another 2-3 miles past my proposed end point.
This next section was also very picturesque…
Once I was past the village of St Abbs I started to look for a pitch for the night. The wind was now very strong and my shelter for the night only good for winds up to around 30 mph. I needed to find somewhere that would offer some protection. There were some beautiful exposed pitches which I would have used with a more storm worthy tent, or on a calmer evening. However, I found a lovely sheltered pitch in the lea of Wuddy Rocks within sight and smell of the white topped waves of the North Sea.
This is the third two day walk I’ve done with my Nordisk Lofoten. To call it a tent is something of an exaggeration, it is the antithesis of the Tardis in that it is actually far smaller than it looks in the photo! However, it is far more comfortable, dry and warm than any tarp or bivvy shelter that I have ever seen or used. And, at 600g, including a polycro footprint, proper pegs and all the guys (not all of which are included in the advertised weight of 490 g), it is lighter than any of these less satisfactory shelters. Indeed, I am coming to love it for walks like this one. The fact that lying down was my only option did not seem a hardship after walking 17 miles along the coast with a 9 kg pack. Half an hour after finishing my dinner, I was ready for sleep.
Day 2 – St Abb’s Head to Cockburnspath (12 miles, 420 m height gain)
A early night (asleep before 8pm) allowed for an early start, and I was walking away at sunrise. After around 10 minutes I was greeted by the St Abb’s Head lighthouse.
The next 2 ½ miles were the most attractive of the whole walk.
It was then a shame that the path headed inland. I missed a trick by not taking a diversion to Fast Castle which, on seeing pictures afterwards, I would recommend to anyone walking this route. It takes five miles to get back to the coast again and it is well worth stopping to look back at the cliffs you don’t get to walk along – albeit with some sense of regret on my part.
There is significant history attached to this stretch of cliffs and the geological story which they tell. James Hutton (1726-1797), often referred to as the Father of Modern Geology, found evidence to support one of his key geological theories by examination of the cliffs around Siccar Point. He would have been a controversial character at the time, as one of his conclusions was that the sedimentary rocks seen in these cliffs must, at one time, have been on the sea bed. The processes of their formation and now elevation, he reasoned, was evidence for the earth being far, far older than the 6,000 year age held to by the Christian church of the time. A Scottish Galileo?
The penultimate mile was by far the most slippery (muddy) of the whole path and should be very pleasant in the summer, but not in early Spring! Then it was time to say goodbye to the coast and to my walk as I headed under the railway, then the A1 and into Cockburnspath.
As I sat in the excellent Station Yard micro-pub, opposite Dunbar station, I was able to reflect on what an fantastic two days it had been, and ponder what I would recommend to myself and others who look to try out this walk in the future – vida supra.
Addendum
If you opt to change this walk to my suggestion of from Beal to Oatley Hill, you could then retrace your steps back to St Abbs, take a bus to Berwick-upon-Tweed and then change for a second bus to Beal (link to 477) both of which are currently quick journeys by bus standards. At time of writing, both of these bus routes run seven days.