Dunbar October 2024
Join me on a brief tour of Dunbar
As mentioned in my previous post, The Kelpies, we took Bella our camper van to Dunbar for a week in October 2024. This area has fond memories for me as I had a family holiday at the local Camping & Caravan Club Campsite back in the early 80’s.
The original campsite, which I believe closed in 2007, was located at Barns Ness close to a fabulous white sands beach. The buildings that remain of the original campsite are now derelict and partly covered in graffiti.
The current campsite has great views of Dunbar and also overlooks the sea. This does make it exposed to strong winds though, we experienced 40 mile an hour winds most of the week!
A bonus of being on the east coast is being able to capture the sunrise over the sea. This does mean getting up early, but the resulting photos are definitely worth it! We were lucky with the weather and had clear skies on a couple of mornings. Watching the sun rise over the sea is quite spectacular.
The town of Dunbar is located on the North Sea coast about 30 miles (48km) east of Edinburgh, 25 miles from the English border and about 30 miles North of Berwick-upon-Tweed. This location makes it perfect for exploring the North English border area and the East Lothian area.
Dunbar is know for being the birthplace of John Muir who was born there on 21 April 1838 and died in 1914. He emigrated to the USA at the age of 11 with his family in search of a better life. John Muir went on to become an inspirational environmentalist and conservationist and is known as the Father of America’s National Parks. He often wrote of Dunbar and how it inspired his love of nature.
As a tribute to John Muir a steel sculpture was commissioned erected on the outskirts of Dunbar 2019. The sculpture is the creation of Andy Scott who is also known for his sculptures of the Kelpies.
At the entrance to the Victoria harbour you will find the remains of Dunbar Castle. This Castle has witnessed many major events throughout Scottish history.
1296 saw the first battle in the Scottish Wars of Independence which was fought a few miles to the south-west of the castle and ended with an English victory
In 1314 Edward II fled to the castle after being defeated by Robert the Bruce
Possibly the most dramatic event in the Castles history occurred in 1337. Black Agness, the Countess of Dunbar (daughter of Robert the Bruce’s nephew) along with only a few men successfully held off the English in a siege which lasted 5 months.
In April 1566 Mary Queen of Scots sought refuge in the castle after her private secretary, David Rizzio, was murdered at the Palace of Holyrood House in Edinburgh. The next year Mary’s 2nd husband Lord Darnley was also savagely murdered. She was detained at the castle by James Hepburn, the Earl of Bothwell who became her 3rd husband. After defeat at the battle of Carberry Hill in June 1567, Bothwell fled to Dunbar and on to exile. His wife was not so fortunate and was imprisoned in Edinburgh Castle. She abdicated in July 1567 and the Scottish Parliament ordered the destruction of Dunbar Castle. Mary was executed on 8 February 1587.
Credit https://visiteastlothian.org/things-to-see-do/towns-villages/dunbar/
In September 1650, a Scottish army of 22,000 was defeated by a Cromwellian force, of half the size, at the Battle of Dunbar. A stone of remembrance is located just off the A1 to commemorate this battle. Cromwell went on to take Edinburgh which led to Scotland becoming part of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland in 1653.
Credit https://visiteastlothian.org/things-to-see-do/towns-villages/dunbar/
Dunbar is also know for its fishing heritage and today it still has two harbours named Victoria and Cromwell. In the past the main catch was herring which was carried by fishwives in creels on their backs along the Herring Road to Lauder in the Scottish Borders for sale. The First World War saw the decline of herring fishing and now the fishing vessels concentrate on prawn trawling and lay creels for lobster and crabs.
As you can probably tell we will definitely be returning to this area as it is a great base to explore the south east of Scotland and north England.
Sources used for this post:
https://visiteastlothian.org/things-to-see-do/towns-villages/dunbar/
Brings back fond memories of a great trip 😍