The

Berwickshire Berwickshire ( gd, Siorrachd Bhearaig) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in south-eastern Scotland, on the English border. Berwickshire County Council existed from 1890 until 1975, when the area became part of th ...

Coastal Path is a walking route some long. It follows the eastern coastline of Scotland from

Cockburnspath Cockburnspath ( ; sco, Co’path) is a village in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It lies near the North Sea coast between Berwick-upon-Tweed and Edinburgh. It is at the eastern extremity of the Southern Upland Way a long-distance footpa ...

in the

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders ( sco, the Mairches, 'the Marches'; gd, Crìochan na h-Alba) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Midlothian, South Lanarkshire, West Lothi ...

Berwick upon Tweed Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census reco ...

, just over the border in England. At Cockburnspath the path links with the

Southern Upland Way The Southern Upland Way is a coast-to-coast long-distance footpath in southern Scotland. The route links Portpatrick in the west and Cockburnspath in the east via the hills of the Southern Uplands. The Way is designated as one of Scotland's Gr ...

and the

John Muir Way The John Muir Way is a continuous long-distance route in southern Scotland, running from Helensburgh, Argyll and Bute in the west to Dunbar, East Lothian in the east. It is named in honour of the Scottish conservationist John Muir, who was ...

. The coastline traversed by the path is nationally and internationally important for

seabirds Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adaptation, adapted to life within the marine (ocean), marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent ev ...

, coastal

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''. E ...

and marine life: much of the coastline is protected as a

Special Protection Area A Special Protection Area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and cert ...

, and there is a national nature reserve at

St Abbs Head St Abb's Head is a rocky promontory by the village of St Abbs in Scottish Borders, Scotland, and a national nature reserve administered by the National Trust for Scotland. St Abb's Head Lighthouse was designed and built by the brothers Davi ...

which is owned by the

National Trust for Scotland The National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, commonly known as the National Trust for Scotland ( gd, Urras Nàiseanta na h-Alba), is a Scottish conservation organisation. It is the largest membership organ ...

. Strong walkers can walk the route in two days, although the walk can be split into shorter sections to allow more time to explore the towns and villages along the way. The path was developed by

Scottish Borders Council Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

, and is now designated as one of

Scotland's Great Trails Scotland's Great Trails are long-distance "people-powered" trails in Scotland, analogous to the National Trails of England and Wales or the Grande Randonnée paths of France. The designated routes are primarily intended for walkers, but may have se ...

NatureScot NatureScot ( gd, NàdarAlba), which was formerly known as Scottish Natural Heritage, is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government responsible for the country's natural heritage, especially its natural, genetic and ...

. The route is waymarked, and there are four memorial statues at

Eyemouth Eyemouth ( sco, Heymooth) is a small town and civil parish in Berwickshire, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It is east of the main north–south A1 road and north of Berwick-upon-Tweed. The town's name comes from its location at th ...

Burnmouth Burnmouth is a small fishing village located adjacent to the A1 road on the east coast of Scotland. It is the first village in Scotland on the A1, after crossing the border with England. Burnmouth is located in the Parish of Ayton, in the S ...

St Abbs St Abbs is a small fishing village on the southeastern coast of Scotland, within the Coldingham parish of Scottish Borders. The village was originally known as ''Coldingham Shore'', the name St Abbs being adopted in the 1890s. The new name wa ...

and

Cove A cove is a small type of bay or coastal inlet. Coves usually have narrow, restricted entrances, are often circular or oval, and are often situated within a larger bay. Small, narrow, sheltered bays, inlets, creeks, or recesses in a coast are o ...

to commemorate the 189 lives lost in the

Eyemouth disaster The Eyemouth disaster was a severe European windstorm that struck the south-eastern coast of Scotland on 14 October 1881. One hundred and eighty-nine fishermen, most of whom were from Eyemouth, were drowned. Many citizens of Eyemouth call the ...

of 14 October 1881, when a hurricane devastated the fishing fleet. Twelve

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

trail markers have also been erected along the route, linking the memorial sculptures. It connects with the

Northumberland Coast Path The Northumberland Coast Path is a long distance path in Northumberland in northern England. It now forms part of the England Coast Path. The path starts at Cresswell and then heads north along the coast through Amble and Warkworth, where it ...

and hence the

England Coast Path The England Coast Path is a proposed long-distance National Trail that will follow the coastline of England. When complete, it will be 2,795 miles (4,500 kilometres) in length. The trail is being implemented by Natural England, a non-departm ...

at Berwick on Tweed."Northumberland Coast Path", Long Distance Walkers Association
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The route

As walked in three stages.

Stage 1

Starting in Cockburnspath, the first section of the Berwickshire Coastal Path is a gentle introduction with easy walking above

harbour and through farmland with some sections on minor roads to finish at Dowlaw. 12 km (7.5 miles)

Stage 2

A gentle start through farmland soon leads on to the most dramatic section of the Berwickshire Coastal Path, leading along the rim of cliffs high above the sea. There is a fair amount of up and downhill as the route continues to the national nature reserve at St Abb's Head, famed for its seabirds, and on to the fishing village itself. The path then goes along the clifftops and beaches to reach the fishing port of Eyemouth. 17 km (10.5 miles)

Stage 3

The final stage runs from

to Berwick-upon-Tweed. Once a haven for smugglers, Eyemouth is now mainly a fishing port and a base for tourists. The port is a home to a fleet of about 20 fishing boats and in the summer this number can double. The route runs along the cliff tops, crossing the Border at

Marshall Meadows Bay __NOTOC__ Marshall Meadows Bay is the northernmost point of England. It is located on the Northumberland coast, north of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and just to the south of the Anglo-Scottish border. Across the border in Scotland is the county of Berwi ...

and on to Berwick-upon-Tweed in England. 19 km (11.75 miles) Berwickshire Coastal Path at Marshall Meadows - geograph

Nearby attractions

Pease Bay Pease Bay is a bay in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, close to the border with East Lothian as well as Cockburnspath, Cove and Dunglass. The area is notable as a holiday destination, for surfing in Scotland, and also for the large static ...

Fast Castle Fast Castle is the ruined remains of a coastal fortress in Berwickshire, south-east Scotland, in the Scottish Borders. It lies north west of the village of Coldingham, and just outside the St Abb's Head National Nature Reserve, run by the Nati ...

, St Abbs Head,

Coldingham Coldingham ( sco, Cowjum) is a village and parish in Scottish Borders, on Scotland's southeast coastline, north of Eyemouth. Parish The parish lies in the east of the Lammermuir district. It is the second-largest civil parish by area in Berwic ...

, Gunsgreen House, Berwick Upon Tweed.

References

{{coord, 55.93295, -2.36018, region:GB-SCB_type:landmark, display=title Footpaths in the Scottish Borders Coastal paths in Scotland Berwickshire Scotland's Great Trails