Clifftops, Coves and the Berwickshire Coastal Path

JULY 2026

From the shores of the South China Sea, an old Hong Kong friend proposed a jaunt down the Berwickshire Coastal Path. And was then subsequently unable to join the expedition. But by that time, myself and Mr. Rickard were sold, so off we went.

Day 1: Cockburnspath to Dow Law

It’s a 30-minute train journey from Morpeth to Berwick, then a 55-minute bus journey from Berwick to Cockburnspath – known locally as Co’path. Then we turned around, headed south, and kept the sea on our left for the next three days.

And it didn’t get off to a very auspicious start. We somehow managed to take a slight wrong turn and missed the first point of interest, Cove Harbour. On past Pease Bay – and the first of many caravan parks. St. Helens Church. Siccar Point. And then another wrong turning on what at this stage appeared to be a rather poorly marked trail. We weren’t the only ones mind you – there was a group of Scottish ladies with whom we conferred and who were equally as confused.

We stopped for lunch somewhere and ate our Co-op sandwiches. Then walked on past Old Cambus Quarry, Redheugh Farm and Dowlaw Quarry. And before you know it, we’d reached our end point for the day, Dow Law. Maybe. There’s a small car park for Fast Castle, a farmhouse, and no mention of Dow Law whatsoever. It’s on the Coastal Path map but according to Google Maps, it doesn’t exist. A bewhiskered auld farmer assured us we were in the right place however. “The clue is in the name.” But the sign says ‘Fast Castle Car Park’, not freaking ‘Dow Law’. 

Fast Castle itself was bypassed given that the Coastal Path brochure describes “stumps of masonry represent the final stage of a castle”. Not a great USP.

Whether Dow Law exists or not there is certainly no accommodation there, so we needed to get to Coldingham. Whereupon our planning – or lack thereof – came unstuck. Our assumption that it would be easy to summon a taxi proved unfounded. One was busy ferrying people to and from a funeral. A second didn’t answer the phone. And a third “just didn’t fancy it”. Faced with Shank’s Pony and a 7.5 mile walk – equal to what we’d just done – we were saved by our group of Scottish ladies. They, and the taxi driver they had sensibly booked, were happy to squeeze us in and drop us off in Coldingham as they headed on to Eyemouth. Thank you Ladies.

Check in to the accommodation at the Law House (law being a Scots word for hill – not the home of a lawyer or a family name). Have a rather disappointing dinner in the only pub in the village which does food, the New Inn; a ‘pie’ which was only crust and no base – criminal. And then a few pints in the company of the highly entertaining hosts and locals of the Anchor Inn. And that is day one done.

Day 2: Dow Law to Eyemouth

In the morning, our gracious host then kindly drove us 7.5 miles back to Dow Law so we could pick up where we left off. To this point, the Coastal Path has been some way from the sea but a little way south of Dow Law it begins to hug the cliff edge, affording some lovely views up and down the coast. There’s a hefty descent at Westerside Dean and an even heftier ascent up Tun Law. At 500ft (150m) Tun Law is the highest cliff on the Berwickshire coast. 

We walked past the Admiralty Distance Poles. Set over a measured mile they enabled shipping companies to test the speed of ocean going vessels. The Cunard liner RMS Mauretania was launched in 1906 and reached 25.73 knots, making her the largest and fastest ship in the world. Heaven knows why the poles are still there, but there they are.

Pettico Wick is apparently a favourite spot for divers, although even in this reasonably mild temperature I wouldn’t fancy getting into the steely-grey water. And then it’s on to St. Abb’s Head Nature Reserve, which is a gorgeous place. There’s rugged coastline aplenty, dramatic cliffs, an old lighthouse and a noisy colony of guillemots, kittiwakes and razorbills. 

Next up is the picturesque village of St. Abbs for a welcome coffee. Then on to Coldingham Bay, Linkim Shore, Killiedraught Bay, a caravan park. It felt a little disrespectful but like Fast Castle, Eyemouth Fort was also given a swerve. The display showed what it might have looked like, i.e. it certainly doesn’t now. Rambling Man describes it as “a bit of grassland and two rusting cannons”. Pass. And then finally into Eyemouth. Eyemouth is a working fishing port and looks like it. Workmanlike, functional and austere.

It was a relatively easy ten mile walk with lovely scenery throughout. And completed in time to settle into the Contented Sole to watch a cracking 3-2 win for Argentina over Egypt in the World Cup. (My fellow rambler, never a football fan, described it as ‘dull’.) Pub dinner – chips with everything. Then another pint in ‘Eyemouth’s hidden gem’, the Fleet, which quite frankly, may be best remaining hidden.

3: Eyemouth to Berwick-upon-Tweed

Day three and Pete had travelled up from Newcastle to join us for the 12 mile walk from Eyemouth to Berwick. It’s the longest day’s walk, and turns out to have the most beautiful scenery and the best weather. In previous days the waterproof had been on and off at various times but today it was just glorious sunshine.

Heading south from Eyemouth the path skirts what appears to be a stunning golf course, which may warrant a visit some day. According to a feller we met in Berwick “Even if you’re having your worst day of golf, it’s a pleasure just to be there”.

Next stop is the tiny little village of Burnmouth which has the distinction of being the first or last village in Scotland when travelling via the A1. Lower Burnmouth is home to 14 picture-perfect cottages, 3 smoke-houses and a colourful line of townhouses. All lovingly clustered around the harbour. There’s also a lovely memorial, in the shape of some tiny statues, to the Eyemouth Fishing Disaster of October 1881, which claimed the lives of 189 fishermen. More importantly, it had a nice picnic table on which to eat our lunch – delicious freshly made sandwiches from the bakers in Eyemouth as opposed to the Co-op crap we’d had for the previous two days.

There’s not an awful lot to say about the coastline between Burnmouth and Berwick. It is a beautiful walk along grassy cliff-tops, alongside wheat fields, overlooking rocky coves and remarkable rock formations. We tested our knowledge of A level Geography and failed miserably. Just south of Lamberton Skerrs, we crossed the border between England and Scotland, returning to our home county of Northumberland. 

There’s another golf course, and another caravan park. And then a much-deserved ice-cream. And before you know it, we’re in Berwick-upon-Tweed. We might have strayed from the final few hundred metres of the path and instead took the most direct route to the pub, in this case, the excellent if unusual Curfew. It had been twelve hot and sticky miles and a cold beer or three was much deserved. 

There was time for more beers, some dinner, some wine and some more beers. Then Pete caught the train back to Newcastle and me and Soot sought our lodgings and fearsome landlady.

And that was the Berwickshire Coastal Path. An easy thirty miles of gorgeous scenery spread over three days. To be fair, it would probably not justify a trip all the way from Hong Kong. But it is definitely worth the short trip from the North East and even London. 

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