St Abbs Lighthouse

May 2015

St Abbs Head ...

is a headland in Berwickshire, south east Scotland, one of several east coast spots with towering cliffs and deep cut bays. Fishing is, or was, the main employment and nowthis is equalled by tourism including walkers taking the Berwickshire Coastal Path who come to wonder at the steep cliffside views.

Eyemouth, just south of At Abbs is another fishing port, busier with boats and more focused on fishing as a business, while St Abbs is prettier, has an attractive layout with viewing points, and with a Scottish National Trust information centre is a focus for birders and people walking to the headland and back.

I visited on a glorious sunny morning in mid May and found the views absolutely wonderful, though had it been as windy as it gets at times I would not have darted approach the cliff edges and would therefore have missed the gulls and gannets and their nests on towering sea stacks and cliffs.

The walk (Walking World 120) follows much the same paths as the walk described on information boards around St Abbs and described as the Discovery Trail. It is also part of the Berwickshire Coastal Path so in my case I followed walk 120 as far as waymark 10 for Coldingham Bay, returning via the Creel Road to St Abbs and thence the National Trust car park. Together with a walk the previous evening round Eyemouth I counted this as another county well walked.

I strongly recommend St Abbs Head! Unfortunately I misplaced my camera for the main part of the walk so two of the above pics are borrowed - though they are very close to what I saw....