Dunbar

The original medieval harbour lay a couple of miles west, where the Biel Water flows out: that was "Belhaven" where the brewery now stands. Oliver Cromwell was unimpressed by its muddy creek and ordered construction of the harbour in Dunbar that bears his name. This in turn was outgrown by the 19th century, when the Victoria Harbour was created alongside. This necessitated cutting through the red sandstone of the headland, so it's a striking harbour entrance, with what's left of the castle teetering above it.

Dunbar was the birthplace of the conservationist John Muir (1838-1914). Local natural features and wildlife had already fascinated him by age 11 when his family moved to the USA. There he was to discover the wilds and set about their preservation through the agency of the United States national parks.

Visitor information:

Dunbar Visitor Information website

By car:

Dunbar is on A1087, a loop north of the A1 London-Newcastle Upon Tyne-Edinburgh road. The town is 30 miles (48 km) east of Edinburgh and 28 miles (45 km) northwest of the English border at Berwick-upon-Tweed.

By bicycle:

Cyclists may use the A1 at this point, but from Edinburgh must use the old road A199 alongside until Dunbar.

By bus:

East Coast Bus X7 runs along A1 between Edinburgh and Dunbar, every 30 minutes M-F and hourly Sa Su, taking 80 min. Borders Bus 253 also runs hourly from Edinburgh via Haddington to Dunbar, and every two hours continues to Cockpurnspath, Grantshouse, Eyemouth, Burnmouth and Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Bus 106 runs hourly from Fort Kinnaird shopping centre at the south edge of Edinburgh via Musselburgh, Wallyford, Tranent, Macmerry, Haddington, East Linton and Dunbar.

Night bus N106 runs after shortly midnight F Sa from Edinburgh to Musselburgh then the same route to Dunbar.

There isn't a bus station, buses stop along Belhaven Rd and High Street and then terminate at Asda on the south side of town.

By rail:

1 Dunbar railway station (100 yd (91 m) yards south of High Street.). It has a staffed ticket office and machines, toilets and a waiting room. There is step-free access to the single platform. (updated Jan 2024)

Dunbar is on the East Coast Mainline from London King's Cross to Edinburgh, but those trains just flash through. You need to change at York or Newcastle upon Tyne for the Cross-Country trains coming up from the East Midlands and stopping at Dunbar every couple of hours on their way towards Edinburgh. There's also a local train between Dunbar and Edinburgh, so this connection is hourly, taking 20 minutes.