SC500 part 7: from Portobello to Burnmouth

From Portobello to Belhaven via Musselburgh, Prestonpan, Aberlady, Gullane, North Berwick, Tantalon. Then from Belhaven to the Border with England via Dunbar, Cockburnspath, St Abbs to Eyemouth.

En route you find coal chips, amassive silver mussel sculpture, lots of murals, lots of sea buckthorn for delicious jam, many-many dog walkers, bird nature reserve, crazy Miami style houses, Kenny Hunter sculpture, 14th century fortress, crazy rock in sea, many oyster shells, sculpted pebbles and rocks, endless tank barriers.

Despite some torrential rain the rugged and varied seascape never tires. Especially when you find en route the Volunteer Arms with their ales and delicious fishpie, an endless golf course up a steep hill, an ancient Lyme kiln next to a modern cement factory to take shelter, a nuclear powerstation called Torness, a primary school with fences in shape of pencils, a caravan park where the shelters cost up to £250000, Siccar Point - where James Hatton proofed that the earth was a bit older than 6000 years as the bible said, a vegetable processing centre with many foreign farm workers going about, a seal colony crying out loud, a pumpkin farm reminding you that Halloween is nearing, some beautiful artwork made by sculptor Jill Watson commemorating the 1881 fishing disaster and a colourful harbour in Eyemouth.

Thanks to Beverly Hood for joining for a while near Gullane and to Rachel and Marius for doing the long walk from Cockburnspath to St Abbs with babies Viggo and Astrid in rucksack.

Saturday 30 Sept 2023, Day 56, Portobello to Aberlady, 30831 steps

The Promenade, waking up, the sea, far away, coal on Fisherrow, mussel pickers, big mussel sculpture, all shiny, benches, with plastic flowers, why?, can you sit there? Loretto school, Loretto yellow, along, along, bird watchers, man in tent, Prestonpans, former powerplant, big construction, murals, all over, café, scone, drug addicts, the beach, seals that look like statues, atrocities, Azerbijan/Armenia, Kosovo/Serbia, oyster shells, sea buck thorn, lecker!, Aberlady, cute.

Sunday 1 October 2023, Day 57, Aberlady to North Berwick, 26227 steps

Bus there, no accommodation, bird reserve, wished I knew more about them, the birds, salt marsh, Comoran, hard work, walking here, on sand, all day, Hi Claudia!, Beverley Hood, nice, strolls along, chat-chat, the Art School, always topic, so many dogs, my dog phobia, need to get it checked, stones, like sculptures, task to remake for stone mason?, big houses, like LA, or Miami, what is it?, looks crazy, golf course, like always, knackered, not sure why, all stiff, stiff, stiff. Tablecloth, not sure, more funky, or more minimalist? North Berwick very posh.

Monday 2 October 2023, Day 58, North Berwick to Belhaven, 35661 steps

Slept poorly, too much wine?, own fault, I like wine, do you?, porridge, Kenny Hunter sculpture, the Watcher, crisp morning, shorts and t-shirt, in October?, Bass rock, hard to photograph, DRIFT café, walked up, from beach, everyone else, by car, Tantalon castle, walk on road, bit shit, back to beach, rewarded with more rocks, more sculptures, all over, layer over layer, long long beach, deserted, pine woods, lost a bit, tide coming in, Tyninghame House, gigantic, Private, No Entry, of course, Belhaven, I am knackered, bus, John Muir house for sale, Lothian Courier.

Friday 7 October 2023, Day 59, Belhaven to Dunbar, 11352 Steps

Short day, pond, burdge, dog, wants cuddle, I don’t, harobour, lifeboat, amazing, those volunteers, volunteer Arms, fishpie, Tom, tour guide, at Belhaven, thai lady, in guest house, Irish man, Gaza attack, on TV.

Saturday 8 October 2023, Day 60 Dunbar to Cockburnspath, 27950 steps

What a day, rain, rain, rain, cold, wind, in lime kiln, cement fabric, on, up and down, slash, slosh, trousers soaked, despite over covers, no use, Torness, powerstation, to be dismantled, from 2025, EDF, why are we selling to France?, don't get it, under three bridges, A1, B road, ancient road, history of bridges, on Southern Upland Way, Cockburnspath, freezing, bus, Eyemouth, shower, hot one, phew. Luckily the first rainy day…

Sunday 9 October 2023, Day 61, St Abbs to Burnmouth, 19363 steps

Plans scrapped today, no bus, taxi, to Cockburnspath, drenching, no, can’t do it, return, £50, to St Abbs, pretty place, but soaked, potter, café open, yes!!, cake, at 9am, cappuccino, off, pumpkin field, chat to farmeress, why no honesty shop, they steal, she says, sad, down, drench, St Abbs Centre, the story, same story, herring, fishing, postcard, for you, small beach huts, in mist, burn, becomes waterfall, the sea, blue and brown strips, strange look, Eyemouth monument, 184 men lost at sea, cute harbour, massive golf course, like every village, Burnmouth, another cute place. Sun is oot.

Monday 10 October 2023, Day 62, Cockburnspath to St Abbs, 36000 steps

Done stretch planned yesterday, Rachel-Marius-twins accompany, viel gequatscht, up and down and up and down, Pease Bay, caravan park, bacon roll, £30-250000, a caravan, £6000 rent a year, good investment, he says, the officer, crazy, I find, Siccar Point, Hutton’s discovery, uniformitarianism, just here, at this point, lots of foreign workers, at the farm, weird, off track, shit, up, over burn, contour line, seal colony, deep down, the screams, pups, no binoculars, sheep, the baby, the ashes, here, sadness, up down, up down, St Abbs point, the village, getting dark, bus. 600m up, 600m down, says komoot.