Belhaven Bay to Dunbar – Along the Clifftop Path
About 3.1 miles on foot.
Belhaven Bay is a great sweep of golden sand on the edge of Dunbar, famous for a little footbridge that stands alone in the water when the tide is in.
From the bay a clifftop path runs along the shore to the town's old harbours, with the Bass Rock out to sea for company. It's two and a half kilometres each way and a fine way to arrive in Dunbar.
- Time
- About two hours: 2.5 km, or a mile and a half, each way between Belhaven Bay and Dunbar harbour, 45 minutes each way, with time at the harbour.
- The path
- Mostly well surfaced paths, grassy tracks and a concrete promenade, with several flights of steps.
- Where to start
- Belhaven Bay car park, Shore Road, Dunbar. £3 a day by pay and display or RingGo, charged 8am to 4pm from October to March and 8am to 6.30pm from April to September; the ticket is good at any East Lothian coastal car park that day. No parking between 11pm and 4am.
- When to go
- All year in daylight. The Bridge to Nowhere can be crossed at low tide only. From November to January set off by 1pm.
- Children
- A big beach at one end and harbours at the other. Keep children close near the cliff edge; there are a good many steps.
- Toilets
- At the Belhaven Bay car park, with accessible toilets; public toilets in Dunbar too.
- Before you set out
- The Bridge to Nowhere at Belhaven Bay can be crossed at low tide only. Take care near the cliff edge and beside the golf course.
The walk
Park at the Belhaven Bay car park on Shore Road, on the west side of Dunbar. It's £3 a day by pay and display or RingGo, charged from 8am to 4pm between October and March, and the ticket is good at any of East Lothian's coastal car parks that day. There are toilets here, with accessible ones. Have a look at the bay before you set off. The beach is huge and backed by dunes and salt marsh, and at its near corner stands the Bridge to Nowhere, a footbridge over the burn, or stream, that runs out across the sands.
At low tide you can cross it onto the sands. At high tide the sea surrounds it and it's left standing on its own, which is how it got its name. The clifftop path between here and Dunbar harbour is 2.5 km, or a mile and a half, and Visit East Lothian allows 45 minutes each way. It's a mix of surfaced path, grass and a concrete promenade, with several flights of steps. The way runs past Winterfield golf course and along the Baird Promenade, a gift to the town from the Baird family in 1893, with the Firth of Forth and the Bass Rock out to sea.
It ends at Dunbar's two harbours and the broken red walls of the castle, which Black Agnes, Countess of Dunbar, held through a five-month siege in 1338. Dunbar's High Street, a few minutes up from the harbour, has cafés, pubs and shops. Take care near the cliff edge and beside the golf course, and keep dogs on a lead there. From November to January, set off by 1pm.
If it rains
The clifftop is open to wind and rain off the firth. On a rough day stay at the Belhaven end, watch the surf from the car park side, and keep the cliffs for calmer weather.
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, 9 miles away. Sleeps 4.
Where to eat
The Creel, Dunbar, a restaurant in Dunbar.
For further reading, before you go.