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The Coastal Communities Museum in North Berwick, a red sandstone Victorian building.
Lothian

Coastal Communities Museum

A free, volunteer-run museum in North Berwick, telling the story of the town and the coastal villages around it.

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Welcome

In a handsome red sandstone building on School Road, the Coastal Communities Museum tells the story of North Berwick and the villages along this stretch of the East Lothian coast: Dirleton, Gullane, Aberlady and Whitekirk.

It is run entirely by volunteers, and entry is free.

The displays change through the year and cover everything from the rocks beneath the coast to the seabirds of the Bass Rock and the people who made their lives here. In 2026 there is an exhibition of old farm tools, from seed broadcasters and sheep shears to a hand plough. There is even an original West Bay beach hut, given to the museum by a great-grandson of William Auld.

The volunteers are always glad to share what they know. It is a lovely place to spend an hour on a wet afternoon, and it opens from Wednesday to Saturday.

Close byAlandas GelatoAn award-winning gelato shop in North Berwick, a short walk from the beach, making gelato each day with cream and milk from East Lothian.1 min by roadSee itGelato display case with a "do not touch or lean on glass" sign
Before you go

Open Wednesday to Saturday, 11am to 4pm.

Free.

Where
School Road, North Berwick, EH39 4JU.
Entry
Free.
Run by
Volunteers.
Where it is

On School Road in North Berwick, EH39 4JU.

Close byNorth Berwick.
  1. Milsey Bay at North Berwick, the boating pond in the rocks with the town and the Law behind.Milsey BayA sandy family beach beside North Berwick harbour, with a boating pond in the rocks, rock pools and views to the Bass Rock.Under a mile1 min by road
  2. Sandstone building with North Berwick Fry sign above the doorwayNorth Berwick FryA busy fish and chip shop and restaurant on Quality Street in North Berwick, a few steps from the beach, open all day into the evening.Under a mile1 min by road
  3. Pastel-coloured terraced houses line a sloping street beneath a hillNorth Berwick HarbourThe harbour.Under a mile2 min by road
  4. North BerwickNorth BerwickThe seaside town.Under a mile2 min by road
  5. North Berwick LawNorth Berwick LawThe volcanic hill behind the town.1 mile4 min by road
Directions
Gelato display case with a "do not touch or lean on glass" signRestaurantsAlandas Gelato0.3 miles
Sandstone frontage of The Ship Inn with wooden benches and parasols outsideRestaurantsThe Ship Inn0.3 miles
Green-framed shopfront with large display windows on a pale blue buildingShoppingTime and Tide0.4 miles
White-fronted shopfront reading "The Grange", with a blue planter and parked car outsideRestaurantsThe Grange0.4 miles
Bostock Bakery and Cafe on a North Berwick high street shopfrontCafeBostock Bakery0.4 miles
Sage green shopfront reading "paper flower" at number 37ShoppingPaper Flower0.4 miles
Terrier-shaped "Barker & Bone" sign hanging from a whitewashed shopfrontShoppingBarker and Bone0.4 miles
Customers queue at the counter inside a plant-filled café with exposed brick wallsCafeSteampunk Coffee0.4 miles
White-fronted shop reading "The Grange" with blue planter and parked car outsideShoppingNorth Berwick High Street0.4 miles
Stay nearby

Places to stay near the museum, and when each is next free.

A stone cottage with red pantiled roofs and a gabled dormer sits behind a gravel courtyard, an apple tree in the foreground.Maybell Cottage
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Lothian
  • 11 miles from the Coastal Communities Museum
Check datesAn orange leather sofa draped with a sheepskin faces a stone fireplace beneath a timber ceiling, a staircase rising behind.The Old Stable
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Lothian
  • 11 miles from the Coastal Communities Museum
Free 18–20 OctThe Crow’s Nest, FifeThe Crow’s Nest
  • Sleeps 5
  • In Lothian
  • 11 miles from the Coastal Communities Museum
Free 2–4 NovFifies, FifeFifies
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Lothian
  • 11 miles from the Coastal Communities Museum
Free 1–3 NovPlaces to stayEvery stay in LothianAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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