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Walk Details
This page is updated regularly with the details of upcoming walks. This information is also sent out by post or email to everyone who has booked. See the About the Walks page for general information about the Walks Programme.
| Please book in advance to guarantee your place, and also so that I can inform you of any changes to these details. Thanks! |
On this page: Cove-Pease Bay - Dunbar-Barns Ness - Oatlee Hill -Yellow Craig
Sat 23 Aug 10am Cove-Pease Bay, Borders
A short, but rocky and wild stretch of coast takes us back through time. Starting at Cove Harbour we find sandstones and other rocks of Carboniferous age, and then work south round the corner to the Old Red Sandstone of Pease Bay.
THE WALK: This is a short but strenuous walk, total distance of about 4 km. From Cove Harbour we walk south and east along the foreshore, clambering over bedrock and boulders to Pease Bay. Return along the Southern Upland Way to Cove. This tough stretch of coast is not well-visited, but the rewards are great!I have classified this as an adventurous walk, involving rocky beaches, clambering over rocks and steep climbs.
THE ROCKS: This short stretch of coast takes us from rocks of Carboniferous age around Cove to the Old Red Sandstone at Pease Bay. We see a transition from rocks laid under water in the Carboniferous sea, to rocks formed in a hot climate on land. Highlights include some amazing spherical concretions.
MEET AT: Car park in Cove village. From the north, follow the A1 to the roundabout about 5km south of Torness Power Station, and take the first exit (left) for Cove. Grid reference NT 780 717. Multimap link. This walk is not accessible by public transport, and car sharing is encouraged. Pleasce get in touch if you would like a lift or can offer one.
COST: This is a "day walk", duration 4-5 hours, cost £10 per person.
Sat 6 Sep 10am Dunbar-Barns Ness, E Lothian
The best fossil site in the Lothians, this short section of coast gives a fascinating insight into the changing environmental conditions that produced a variety of sedimentary rocks, including thick layers of fossil-rich limestone.
THE WALK: We start in the centre of Dunbar, and walk eastwards along the beach, with occasional stretches of rock and bouldery beach, to the Barns Ness lighthouse. We'll return to Dunbar along the coastal path, total distance about 9 km. I have classified this as moderate walk, not always on paths, it may be rough or slippery underfoot at times.
THE ROCKS: We start at the volcanic rocks which help create Dunbar’s harbour, and walk past layers of Old Red Sandstone which surround the volcanic vents. Further along the shore we cross a few small faults, and come to a variety of younger sedimentary rocks from the Carboniferous Period. These rocks include limestones and plenty of fossils.
MEET: Dunbar Harbour, at the bridge which leads over to the battery. Grid reference NT 681 793. Multimap link. There are frequent bus and train services to Dunbar, and the walk starts at Dunbar Harbour, just a short walk from Dunbar High Street.
COST: This is a "day walk", duration 4-5 hours, cost £10 per person.
Sun 21 Sep 11am Oatlee Hill, Borders
The wildest stretch of the Borders coast lies between Fast Castle and St Abbs Head - where steep cliffs of greywacke sandstone fall to the North Sea, fringed by headlands and rocky beaches.
THE WALK: This is short but strenuous walk on tracks, steep grassy slopes and bouldery beach. We'll follow farm tracks from Dowlaw Farm southwards, and then a rough path along the cliff tops to a great viewpoint where it is possible to descend to the remote beach. Return along the waymarked path to Dowlaw Farm. Total walking distance about 6km. I have classified this as an adventurous walk, involving walking along rocky beaches, clambering over rocks and steep climbs. Footwear with a good tread is essential.
THE ROCKS: Layers of greywacke sandstone, originally formed on the floor of the Iapetus Ocean, have been crumpled during the Caledonian Orogeny as the Iapetus Ocean closed, and are now often found tilted at a high angle from the horizontal. From the cliff tops we can appreciate how these layers are laid in repeating sequences, reflecting the processes that formed them. And as we contemplate the modern North Sea we can speculate about what was happening on a sea bed long ago in a long lost ocean.
MEET: At the car park beside Dowlaw Farm. Take the A1 to just south of Cockburnspath, and turn east onto the A1107. A few miles south of the junction, at the top of the hill, take the left turn signposted to Dowlaw. Follow this minor road down to the farm, the car park is on the left before the farm buildings. Grid reference NT 855 702. Multimap link. This walk is not accessible by public transport, and car sharing is encouraged. Pleasce get in touch if you would like a lift or can offer one.
COST: This is a "day walk", duration 4-5 hours, cost £10 per person.
Sat 4 Oct 10am Yellow Craig, E Lothian
The beautiful sandy beaches of this stretch of East Lothian's coast are surrounded by a variety of igneous rock, the result of varied volcanic activity in the Carboniferous Period.
THE WALK: This is a fairly gentle walk along the coast to the west of Yellow Craig, walking on sandy and pebbly beaches and crossing rocky headlands. We'll return to our starting point by the inland path. Total distance about 6km. I have classified this as moderate walk, not always on paths, it may be rough or slippery underfoot at times.
THE ROCKS: The rocky headlands of this coast are formed by different layers of lava from local volcanoes. A couple of volcanic vents are also visible, and several later intrusions of magma have formed the nearby islands.
MEET: Yellow Craig car park, 1.5km north of Direlton. Direlton can be reached by bus from Edinburgh or North Berwick. Grid reference NT 515 854. Multimap link.
COST: This is a "day walk", duration 4-5 hours, cost £10 per person.
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