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A landscape view of the Blue Cabin at the foot of the brae, lamps lit by its red door and boats drawn up on the grass.
Scottish Borders

Blue Cabin by the Sea

For four, with two bedrooms, firewood and room for the dog.

Book on their website
Welcome

The Blue Cabin is a holiday cabin for four at the top of the beach at Cove, a tiny harbour on the Berwickshire coast near Cockburnspath.

Visited and photographed by Hidden Scotland

It was built in the 1880s and by the 1920s was a holiday cabin known as The Chalet. The way in is through a tunnel cut in the rock in 1752, then across the sand. It is painted bright blue, with red windows and a signwritten gate.

The living room looks straight over the harbour, where seals and even dolphins are sometimes seen, with two Orkney chairs, a wood stove, a mirror ringed with shells and a library for rainy days. The box bed for two fills with the sound of the sea when the window is open a crack, and the bunk room, lined with charts of Christmas Island, is made for children. The harbour is private, and the cabin’s profits support it. The cabin is owned by Ben Tindall and Jill Watson, who own the harbour too.

Emerging from the tunnel into the salt air felt like stepping into another world.
Karla Hall, on a January stay at the cabin, in Issue 12
What is here

There is a living room with two Orkney chairs, a wood stove and a library, a tiny galley kitchen with an induction hob, a microwave oven, a fridge and a dishwasher, a box bed for two and a bunk room for children, a shower with a heated floor, Wi-Fi and a smart TV.

Wood for fires
Private terrace or patio
Barbecue
Barbecue facilities
Board games
Books
Children’s books and toys
Dishwasher
Garden
Kitchen
Local maps and guides
TV
Underfloor heating
Wifi
Wood-burning stove
Good to know
Stays
By the week; ask about short stays, Christmas and New Year.
Getting there
Unload at the head of the tunnel, park in the car park at the top, and wheel the cabin's barrow through.
By train
Dunbar station is about 8 miles away; Torrance's taxis are based there.
Families
Suited to young children. Not for parties.
Access
Unsuitable for limited mobility: rough ground, sand, uneven steps and narrow doors.
Dogs
One small dog, by arrangement: bring its bedding; never on the beds or left alone in the cabin.
The stove
Laid for your arrival. Wood, coal and kindling are in the shed, included in the rent.
Bring
A torch, binoculars, charcoal for the barbecue and extra toilet paper.
Crab and lobster
From the fishing boats, when the sea allows. There is a crab and lobster cookbook.
Mobile signal
Variable; there is no landline.
The harbour
Post nothing that draws attention to it: the owners' wish, with no drones or jet-skis.
Smoking
Not allowed, e-cigarettes included.
Where it is

Cove Harbour is on the Berwickshire coast in the Scottish Borders, by Cockburnspath, where the Southern Upland Way ends and the Berwickshire Coastal Path begins.

The cabin is about 8 miles from Dunbar railway station, 36 miles from Edinburgh city centre and 45 miles from Edinburgh airport. Cockburnspath has a community shop open every day, and Dunbar, up the coast in East Lothian, has a wide range of shops and supermarkets.

Close byWhere Ben and Jill send their guests, nearest first.
  1. The Creel Restaurant lit up on a wet street corner at nightThe CreelOne of the two restaurants the owners recommend, by the harbour in Dunbar.9 miles 14 min by road
  2. Dunbar High Street under a blue sky, the white Town House with its tower and spire among the old buildings.Dunbar Town HouseDunbar's original town house, now the local museum.9 miles 14 min by road
  3. John Muir's Birthplace on Dunbar High Street, a white-harled house with flowers by the open door.John Muir's birthplaceWhat remains of the birthplace of the great naturalist, in Dunbar. Cockburnspath, by the cabin, is the south end of the John Muir coastal link.9 miles 14 min by road
  4. Concorde's nose and cockpit on display inside a hangar at Concorde ExperienceMuseum of FlightNear Dunbar, an outstation of the National Museums of Scotland.19 miles 29 min by road
  5. Sandstone mansion with pediment roof, stone steps leading through terraced garden bordersPaxton HouseNear Eyemouth, an outstation of the National Galleries of Scotland.21 miles 32 min by road
Walks from here
  1. Cove and Pease DeanCove and Pease Dean3½ miles, about two hoursFrom the door
  2. Siccar PointSiccar Point3 miles, about two hours4 miles away
  3. Barns NessBarns Ness2¾ miles, about three hours8 miles away
  4. Fast CastleFast Castle1½ miles, about three hours8 miles away
  5. Belhaven Bay to DunbarBelhaven Bay to Dunbar3 miles, about two hours10 miles away
  6. East LintonEast Linton3 miles, an hour and a half or so14 miles away
Directions
Grassy headland overlooking a rocky shoreline and calm coastal watersAttractionsBerwickshire Coastal Path1.4 miles
White clubhouse with red tiled roof beside a links golf courseAttractionsDunbar Golf Course8.5 miles
Railed path leads from grassy clifftop down to a rocky shorelineAttractionsDunbar High Street8.6 miles
Fishing boats moor beneath Dunbar Castle's red sandstone ruins on the harbourAttractionsThe Creel Loaders8.8 miles
Aerial view of North Berwick's twin harbours, rooftops and coastline stretching inlandAttractionsDunbar Battery8.9 miles
The ruins of a red sandstone tower and harbour walls stand on a rocky promontory, small boats sheltering in the water beside them.AttractionsDunbar Castle8.9 miles
Metal footbridge crosses a tidal creek on a wide sandy beachAttractionsBelhaven Bridge9.9 miles
Waves breaking on a sandy beach under a blue sky with scattered cloudsWalksDunbar Clifftop Path to Belhaven Bay10 miles
Low sun through the café's sash windows and glazed garden door, wooden chairs at the tables and green fields outside.CafeThe Woodlands Café11 miles

Recommend to a friend

Days out from Blue Cabin by the SeaAll days out from here
  1. Cove Harbour and Pease Dean walkCove Harbour and Pease Dean walkUnder half a mile away A few hours
  2. A walk to Siccar Point from Pease BayA walk to Siccar Point from Pease BayHalf a mile away A few hours
  3. A walk to Fast Castle and fish and chips in EyemouthA walk to Fast Castle and fish and chips in Eyemouth4 miles away A few hours
  4. Edin's Hall Broch walk from Abbey St BathansEdin's Hall Broch walk from Abbey St Bathans6 miles away A day out
  5. A walk to Barns Ness lighthouse from WhitesandsA walk to Barns Ness lighthouse from Whitesands6 miles away A few hours
  6. Exploring Historic DunbarExploring Historic Dunbar8 miles away A few hours
  7. An Eastern Daytrip to DunbarAn Eastern Daytrip to Dunbar8 miles away A day out
  8. Dunbar harbour, the Battery and lunch at the CreelDunbar harbour, the Battery and lunch at the Creel8 miles away A few hours
  9. St Abb's Head's seabird cliffsSt Abb's Head's seabird cliffs8 miles away A few hours
  10. Coldingham Bay, the Creel Path and St Abbs walkColdingham Bay, the Creel Path and St Abbs walk9 miles away A few hours
  11. Dunbar's clifftop path walk from Belhaven BayDunbar's clifftop path walk from Belhaven Bay9 miles away A few hours
  12. An alpaca trek to the beach at John Muir AlpacasAn alpaca trek to the beach at John Muir Alpacas10 miles away A few hours
  13. Coasteering on the Dunbar coastCoasteering on the Dunbar coast10 miles away A few hours
  14. FoxFall at Foxlake, a ropes course and zip line over waterFoxFall at Foxlake, a ropes course and zip line over water10 miles away A few hours
  15. A walk in Pressmennan Wood by the lakeA walk in Pressmennan Wood by the lake10 miles away A few hours
  16. A walk up Duns Law to the Covenanters' StoneA walk up Duns Law to the Covenanters' Stone11 miles away A few hours
  17. Eyemouth Fort, harbour and sea braes walkEyemouth Fort, harbour and sea braes walk11 miles away A few hours
  18. Tyninghame beach walk to St Baldred's CradleTyninghame beach walk to St Baldred's Cradle11 miles away A few hours
  19. A walk along the Tyne from East Linton to Hailes CastleA walk along the Tyne from East Linton to Hailes Castle13 miles away A few hours
  20. Hailes Castle and lunch at Bostock in East LintonHailes Castle and lunch at Bostock in East Linton13 miles away A few hours
  21. Tantallon Castle and lunch at DriftTantallon Castle and lunch at Drift14 miles away A few hours
  22. Paxton House's woodland playground and the Tweed, with the dogPaxton House's woodland playground and the Tweed, with the dog15 miles away A few hours
  23. A clifftop sauna at Canty Bay, facing the Bass RockA clifftop sauna at Canty Bay, facing the Bass Rock15 miles away A few hours
  24. Concorde at the National Museum of FlightConcorde at the National Museum of Flight15 miles away A few hours
In Issue 12

There was something about the harbour's salty-aired seclusion that had already worked its spell on us.

Blue Cabin by the Sea, Hidden Scotland Issue 12
Hidden Scotland, the magazine

Scotland, in print.

Blue Cabin by the Sea is in Issue 12, written up by Karla Hall.

Get Issue 12Read it here