Day trip to Dunbar

A cancelled boat trip left us with a hole in our schedule. After some deliberation we opted for a day trip to Dunbar c/o the 120 bus. It seemed slightly counter-intuitive to stay on the bus as it passed through the centre of town and get off at the ASDA on the outskirts, but there was method in our madness. In prime position at the centre of a 54.3 acre plot (currently fields, but earmarked for mixed-use low carbon development) next door is the DunBear.

The DunBear

The DunBear is a marvelous sculpture made up of steel plates by Andy Scott, who also created the magnificent Kelpies in Falkirk. It was unveiled in November 2019 as a tribute to Dunbar-born naturalist John Muir (1838-1914) who played a key role in the establishment of National Parks in the US and across the world.

Having paid homage to the bear we walked back towards town, past the parish church and down to the harbour where you can cross an old lifting bridge to visit Dunbar Battery (1781, restored 2017) and admire the picturesque ruins of Dunbar Castle. I was rather surprised to learn that there are no known images of Dunbar castle intact, but plenty of illustrations showing its romantic ruins.

Dunbar castle has seen plenty of action, having been attacked many times through its long history, and it was here that Mary Queen of Scots came to seek sanctuary after the murder of Rizzio in 1566. The Scottish Parliament ordered its destruction in 1567 and a channel was blasted through the castle in 1844 to create an entrance to the new Victoria Harbour. It must make for one of the most dramatic harbour approaches anywhere.

It can be a little hard to get a complete sense of the structure of the castle from the various viewpoints, but some drone footage commissioned by Dunbar Harbour Trust to show the current condition of the castle walls gives a much better perspective. The castle ruins are closed to the public because of the dangers of structural decay and risk of collapse. Seeing it up close, I can completely understand why!

Dunbar Castle

Amidst the walls of the Dunbar Castle ruins today you can see hundreds of kittiwakes nesting, with plenty of young chicks emerging. One of the many display boards around the harbour noted the old superstition that kittiwakes should reach Dunbar by the 16th of March for a ‘happy and prosperous summer’. I gather they just made it with a few days to spare this year. The volcanic rocks around the harbour also seemed well populated by shags.

The Dunbar Harbour Trust have done a terrific job explaining what you can see with plenty of display boards dotted around. Among other sights we saw the Fisherman’s monument (1856); a monument to the inventor of the screw propeller; a striking row of Fishermen’s cottages designed by Basil Spence (perhaps best known for the Beehive in New Zealand); and a sculpture called ‘The Creel Loaders’ depicting women carrying herring for sale in wicker creels.

Among the many stories revealed through the boards, I liked the potted history of Black Agnes best. Agnes Randolph was left in charge of Dunbar castle while her husband was away at war. English forces arrived in 1338 expecting an easy surrender, but Lady Agnes held out for six months. After one round of battering Lady Agnes and her maids taunted the besieging forces by dusting down the battlements. When the English tried to starve her out she had fresh bread catapaulted into the English camp to show them why this would not work. The siege was abandoned.

Fishermen’s cottages designed by Basil Spence

After leaving the harbour behind us we took a wander up to the High Street, admiring the grand Lauderdale House, youthful statue of John Muir and the impressive exterior of the 16th century building housing the Dunbar Town House Museum and Gallery. The museum required pre-booking of visits during our stay, due to covid restrictions, which didn’t really fit with the spontaneous nature of our visit but sounded well worth a look-in under normal circumstances. Instead, we consoled ourselves with some seriously good cake at Graze Coffee & Chocolate House.

If we had been staying in the town I would have liked to visit a much photographed spot at Belhaven Bay known as the Bridge to Nowhere. It’s purpose is clear at low tide, providing a route over a river, but at high tide it looks like the most pointless bridge ever!

I was surprised by how good a day out we had in Dunbar, even without going inside the museums. I would certainly recommend spending some time here if you are in the area.

Gallery