Yellowcraig and Dirleton – A Lighthouse, a Beach and a Castle
About 3.7 miles on foot.
Yellowcraig is a sandy cove backed by pine woods, a few miles west of North Berwick, and it looks straight out to the island of Fidra and its white lighthouse.
This easy circuit takes in the woods, the beach and the little hill above it, then heads inland to Dirleton, one of the prettiest villages in East Lothian, with a castle beside its green. It's six kilometres and takes up to two hours.
- Time
- An hour and a half to two hours: a circuit of 6 km (3.7 miles) on grassy paths and tracks, a sandy beach and village roads.
- The path
- Grassy paths and tracks, a sandy beach and some village road. At Yellowcraig a wheelchair path and ramp give views over the beach.
- Where to start
- Yellowcraig car park, at the end of the lane signposted from Dirleton. £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. From November to January set off by 12.30pm.
- Dogs
- Under close control.
- Children
- An easy round with a beach on the way and a play park at Yellowcraig.
- Toilets
- By the Yellowcraig car park, with a Changing Places toilet. Public toilets in Dirleton too.
- Before you set out
- Dirleton Castle, on the way round, has its own ticket and opening hours.
The walk
Park at Yellowcraig, at the end of the lane signposted from Dirleton. 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 by the car park. Visit East Lothian gives the Dirleton and Yellowcraig circular as 6 km, a little under four miles, and allows an hour and a half to two hours. It's easy going on grassy paths and tracks, a stretch of sandy beach and a little village road.
The walk takes in the woods behind the shore and the small hill of Yellowcraig itself, part of a volcano that erupted more than 340 million years ago, with views along the coast in both directions. Below it is a wide sandy cove looking out to Fidra, the island said to have inspired Treasure Island. Its white lighthouse dates from 1885 and was the first in Scotland to be automated. Inland lies Dirleton, a pretty conservation village gathered round a green. Its old kirk has the Archerfield window, a stained-glass picture of the local wildlife, and its castle dates from 1220.
The castle has its own ticket and opening hours. Dirleton has restaurants, coffee shops, an ice cream parlour and public toilets, so it makes a good place to stop halfway round. Keep dogs under close control. From November to January, set off by 12.30pm.
If it rains
The woods give a little shelter, but the beach and the fields are open to the wind off the firth. On a wet day Dirleton's coffee shops are halfway round, and the walk is better kept for a dry one.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
For further reading, before you go.
Photograph by Gerrit Busser via Google