St Abb's Head – Seabird Cliffs and the Lighthouse
A few hours.
The route
St Abb's Head is one of the great seabird cliffs of the east coast, a rugged headland of red and grey rock above the North Sea.
From spring to midsummer its ledges and stacks are crowded with guillemots, razorbills and kittiwakes, and a coast path takes you along the top of it all to the lighthouse.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is Blue Cabin by the Sea in Cockburnspath, 8 miles away. Sleeps 4.
The day
St Abb's Head
A morning on the clifftops, with seabirds packed on the ledges below and the lighthouse ahead. Bring binoculars, sturdy shoes and a windproof layer.
About three hoursAbout 3 miles on foot
St Abb’s Head National Nature Reserve
An attraction
St Abb's Head is a National Nature Reserve cared for by the National Trust for Scotland, just north of St Abbs village on the Berwickshire coast. Park at the Trust's car park at Northfield, on the edge of the village: there's a charge, and members of the Trust park free. From spring to midsummer the cliffs are crowded with nesting seabirds. Guillemots and razorbills pack the stacks, kittiwakes cling to the cliff faces, fulmars, shags and a few puffins nest here too. The guillemots leave the ledges towards the end of June, so May and June are the time to go. Out to the lighthouse and back is about 3 miles. The Trust's Discovery Trail is about 2 miles along the coast path and the single-track lighthouse road, and its Lighthouse Loop adds a mile: about two hours' walking in all. The coast path has steep slopes and unfenced edges. Keep well back, for your own safety and because walkers near the nests disturb the birds. Keep dogs close or on a lead. Check the Trust's St Abb's Head page for the car park and information point before going.
If it rains
Open clifftop with no shelter, and the birds are hard to see in sea mist. In rain or a strong wind, leave it for a calmer day.
Ebbcarrs Cafe, a café.
Coldingham Beach Café, a café in Eyemouth.