ITH BREATHTAKING SCENERY that you may recognise from TV shows such as Wild Isles, Springwatch or Outlander, Dunbar is a working fishing town grounded in a rich history.
It sits on the North Sea coast of East Lothian, looking out to Bass Rock, an island in the Firth of Forth that has captured the imagination of writers such as Robert Louis Stevenson and William Boyd. Back on mainland, the ruins of Dunbar Castle watch over the town. Centuries ago, Mary, Queen of Scots fled there after the murder of Rizzio. Today, you can admire it from the harbour in between a boat tour and a pint at the pub.
Among its more curious tourist attractions is the Bridge to Nowhere, a strange little footbridge that, at high tide, seems to lead nowhere. At low tide its purpose becomes apparent, as it crosses Biel Water, a three-mile-long stream.
The town is the birthplace of John Muir, known as the “Father of National Parks” for his role in creating the American national park system. Despite spending most of his life in America, he never forgot Dunbar and Dunbar never forgot him. You can find traces of him throughout the town, from the four-storey building that he was born in, now a museum, to John Muir Country Park, stretching along the East Lothian coastline.
A few of the locals share what makes Dunbar so special… ➺
Alan Stewart is the managing director and owner of BlueWild Nature Boat Tours, a tour company that offers stunning boat trips to Bass Rock and the Isle of May bluewild.co.uk
I’VE LIVED IN DUNBAR for four years now. We lived in North Berwick for 20 years but we wanted to downsize and Dunbar was the next available town by the sea that was also close to Edinburgh. For many years Dunbar was seen as a poor neighbour to North Berwick, but that’s the wrong comparison. People will say, "Oh, it’s not North Berwick", but that’s actually why we chose it. It’s next to the sea, it has a great harbour, it’s a very genuine town with a traditional feel.
Dunbar is a small town with a disproportionately huge history. You look at it and think it’s just a normal little town but there’s so much more beneath the surface. It’s got a beautiful coastline, great walks, easy access to Edinburgh and then, of course, this fascinating history, being the birthplace of John Muir.
Dunbar is a very traditional town with families who’ve lived here for a long time—four or five generations of fishermen. It’s a very self-sufficient place. If you go up the way you’ll find a lot of commuter towns and holiday towns, but Dunbar has been its own working town for a long time. It’s also ex
