Eyemouth – The Harbour, the Sands and a Fort on the Headland
About 2 miles on foot.
Eyemouth is a fishing town on the Berwickshire coast, with its harbour in the river mouth and a curve of sand beside it.
This short round takes in the quay, the seafront and the grassy ramparts of a fort on the headland. English soldiers built the fort in 1547 and the French made it bigger ten years later. It's two miles in all, with wide views up the coast to St Abb's Head.
- Time
- One to two hours: a circuit of 3 km (2 miles) round the harbour, the seafront and Fort Point.
- The path
- Loose stone paths, a short stretch of beach and flights of steps. Not for wheelchairs or pushchairs.
- Where to start
- In Eyemouth's car parks, which are spread through the town. The one at the Bantry, on the seafront, has toilets.
- Set off
- From November to January, set off by 1.30pm to be back in daylight.
- When to go
- All year in daylight. From November to January, set off by 1.30pm.
- Dogs
- Under close control: the walk crosses a beach and a caravan park.
- Children
- Short, with a beach on the way and cannons on the fort. The headland has open edges above the sea.
- Toilets
- At the harbour and at the Bantry car park.
- Before you set out
- The Red Bridge at the harbour has been closed since June 2026. This walk stays on the town side of the harbour.
The walk
Park in Eyemouth, where there are car parks through the town. The one at the Bantry, the seafront promenade, has toilets, and there are more at the harbour. This is one of the council's own town walks, a circuit of 2 miles for which it allows one to two hours. It begins at the harbour, where fishing boats still tie up along the quay. In the great storm of October 1881, 129 Berwickshire men were lost at sea. From the quay the walk goes out along the Bantry beside the sands.
A short stretch of beach and a flight of steps bring you up onto Fort Point, the headland at the end of the bay. The English built a fort here in 1547, to designs by Sir Richard Lee, and the French enlarged it ten years later. It was made for artillery, with guns set in pointed bastions of the Italian kind. What's left are grassy earthworks, and 19th-century cannons stand on the head. From the fort the walk goes round above Killiedraught Bay, with St Abb's Head in the distance, and comes back through a caravan park to the High Street. The paths are loose stone in places and there are steps, so it isn't one for a wheelchair or a pushchair.
The council closed the Red Bridge at the harbour in June 2026 until further notice. This walk stays on the town side of the harbour. Afterwards, Giacopazzi's on Harbour Road fries fish and chips from 11.30am, until 7pm from Sunday to Thursday and 8pm on Friday and Saturday. Dogs are welcome at its outdoor tables. From November to January, set off by 1.30pm.
If it rains
The seafront and the headland are open to the wind and the rain off the North Sea, and the stone paths and steps turn slippery. On a wild day, keep to the harbour and the Bantry.
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, 11 miles away. Sleeps 4.
Where to eat
Giacopazzi's, a restaurant in Eyemouth.
The Clubhouse, Eyemouth, a restaurant.
For further reading, before you go.