{"id":2184,"date":"2021-01-09T01:00:14","date_gmt":"2021-01-09T00:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/?p=2184"},"modified":"2021-01-04T18:27:39","modified_gmt":"2021-01-04T17:27:39","slug":"st-abbs-head-berwickshire-se-scotland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/?p=2184","title":{"rendered":"St Abb\u2019s Head, Berwickshire, SE Scotland"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">function popwalk(walk) {var url = \"\/Walks\/amap.php?f=\"+walk; varwalkwindow=window.open(url,\"walkwin\",\"height=740,width=1230,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes\"); if (window.focus) {walkwindow.focus()}}<\/script><br \/> First published in: The Times <a href=\"javascript:popwalk('StAbbsHead.jpg');\" rel=\"nozoom\" title=\"Click here to view a map for this walk in a new window\">Click here to view a map for this walk in a new window<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/50668154142_331f0237bc_z.jpg\" title= \"50668154142 view over Mire Loch 1\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/50668154142_331f0237bc_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/50668078786_efe92cd3d0_z.jpg\" title= \"50668078786 Looking north-west while descending to Pettico Wick\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/50668078786_efe92cd3d0_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/50668152972_7256e29387_z.jpg\" title= \"50668152972 St Abb&#039;s Head lighthouse and foghorn\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/50668152972_7256e29387_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/50668079181_bb77eb63c0_z.jpg\" title= \"50668079181 pink stones of Starney Bay\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/50668079181_bb77eb63c0_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/50668153407_f2bab242ef_z.jpg\" title= \"50668153407 looking south over St Abbs harbour 2\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/50668153407_f2bab242ef_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/50667334293_e62d1bb93c_z.jpg\" title= \"50667334293 looking south over St Abbs harbour 1\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/50667334293_e62d1bb93c_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/50667334413_3a235ba2f9_z.jpg\" title= \"50667334413 winter aconite at St Abb&#039;s Head Visitor Centre\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/50667334413_3a235ba2f9_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/50668153957_9da723e937_z.jpg\" title= \"50668153957 view over Mire Loch 2\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/50668153957_9da723e937_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/50668154272_e9fe2d1139_z.jpg\" title= \"50668154272 reedbeds at Mire Loch 1\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/50668154272_e9fe2d1139_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/50668154422_844b4e6dcb_z.jpg\" title= \"50668154422 reedbeds at Mire Loch 2\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/50668154422_844b4e6dcb_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/50667335173_76268b19f9_z.jpg\" title= \"50667335173 slanted strata of the cliffs looking north\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/50667335173_76268b19f9_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nFacebook Link: <script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/wordpress\/?p=2184\" layout=\"button_count\" show_faces=\"true\" width=\"200\" colorscheme=\"dark\"><\/fb:like><br \/>\n<a href=\"javascript:pwindow=window.open('\/Walks\/prn.php?f=2184','pwin','height=700,width=1000,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes');\" title=\"Click for printable version\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/Walks\/print.gif\" align=\"right\"><\/a><br \/>\nThe Berwickshire coast of south-east Scotland is a rugged one, all sharp-nosed headlands and lumpy sea stacks. On a windy January morning the promontory cliffs of St Abb\u2019s Head looked bleak and exhilarating, just the place for a post-Christmas blow-through.<\/p>\n<p>Yellow buds of winter aconite were struggling out under the trees at the National Nature Reserve car park. \u2018And snowdrops, look!\u2019 exclaimed our son George. Long-term resident of tropical Australia, he was revelling in the sights and sensations of this proper winter\u2019s day.<\/p>\n<p>Wrapped up to the eyes, we set out along the coast path above cliffs of volcanic rock so tumbled and jagged that the outcrops resembled shattered castle walls. A greenish wash of guano slathered the rocks, though the seabirds responsible were long gone to their winter quarters further south.<\/p>\n<p>Grey seals had pupped on the secluded beaches of dusky red sand, and we caught glimpses of the adults offshore as they dived like fat Olympic swimmers after shoals of fish.<\/p>\n<p>This was weather to make our expat son gasp and grin. The gale pushed and shoved us like an invisible thug. The dried sea pinks of last summer nodded wildly at the cliff edge, and cold blasts of wind feathered out the whitecaps on the sea into a heaving grey mass.<\/p>\n<p>The path led into a sheltered green valley for a few minutes\u2019 respite before climbing up the flank of Kirk Hill and into the wind again. Here on the slope in 643AD Aebbe \u2013 a Northumbria princess in flight from the unwanted attentions of King Penda of Mercia \u2013 founded a nunnery. When St Cuthbert of Lindisfarne came visiting, he spent his nights in prayerful immersion, up to his neck in the sea. A hard man for tough times.<\/p>\n<p>Just below the summit stood a lighthouse and the whitewashed cottages where its keepers once lived through wind, sun and wild weather. The walled garden where they grew their greens lay abandoned beyond.<\/p>\n<p>From the viewpoint above a magnificent view unfolded, west along mudstone cliffs stacked and folded towards the Firth of Forth and the distant hump of North Berwick Law, east over the fishing villages of St Abbs* and Eyemouth among their volcanic headlands.<br \/>\n*NB St Abb\u2019s Head has an apostrophe, St Abbs village doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>George spread his arms and stood flapping like a scarecrow, delighting in the grey sea and wild sky, while I chased after the hat which the wind had snatched off my head and flung far away.<\/p>\n<p>How hard is it? 5 miles, moderate; hilly coast path<\/p>\n<p>Start: St Abb\u2019s Head NNR Visitor Centre car park, St Abbs, near Eyemouth TD14 5PL (OS ref NT 913674) &#8211; \u00a33<\/p>\n<p>Getting there: Bus 235 from Berwick-upon-Tweed.<br \/>\nRoad: A1 (Berwick \u2013 Haddington); B6438 at Reston to Coldingham and St Abbs.<\/p>\n<p>Walk (OS Explorer 346): From Visitor Centre follow \u2018Path to St Abb\u2019s Head\u2019 signs; then \u2018Lighthouse Loop\u2019 (purple arrows) to lighthouse (914692) and topograph beyond. Left along road. At north-west end of Mire Loch, left (908690) on Mire Loop (yellow arrows). At lower end of loch, right (913685) up stony track to road (912684). Ahead, following road back to car park. Left along B6438 to St Abbs harbour, and return to car park. <\/p>\n<p>Lunch: Old School Caf\u00e9, Ebba Centre, St Abbs (01890-771413, @EbbaCentre) \u2013 excellent home cooking and baking, warm welcome all year round. Book ahead if in group of 5+<\/p>\n<p>Accommodation: Home Arms, High St, Eyemouth TD14 5EY (01890-751316, <a href=\"http:\/\/thehomearms.com\">thehomearms.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>Info:  St Abbs Visitor Centre (01890-771672, <a href=\"http:\/\/stabbsvisitorcentre.co.uk\">stabbsvisitorcentre.co.uk<\/a>)<br \/>\nSt Abb\u2019s Head NNR Centre (01890-771443 <a href=\"http:\/\/nts.org.uk\">nts.org.uk<\/a>) \u2013 open 30 March\u201331 Oct.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/satmap.com\">satmap.com<\/a>; <a href=\"http:\/\/ramblers.org.uk\">ramblers.org.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Berwickshire coast of south-east Scotland is a rugged one, all sharp-nosed headlands and lumpy sea stacks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2185,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-walks","category-3-id","post-seq-1","post-parity-odd","meta-position-corners","fix"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2184"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2184\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2185"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}