North Berwick Law.

Start. North Berwick (St Andrew's Street car park).

Route. St Andrew's Street - High Street - Market Place - Forth Street - Victoria Street - North Berwick Harbour - Victoria Street - Kirk Ports - Law Road - North Berwick Law car park - North Berwick Law - North Berwick Law car park - Law Road - St Andrew's Street.

Notes. A conical hill, a volcanic plug rising to over 600ft above the town of North Berwick, this is North Berwick Law formed by volcanic activity over 300 million years ago. Rising from the low-lying coastal landscape the summit grants the hill walker with stunning vistas over coast and pastoral landscape, a lookout station dating from the Napoleonic Wars adorns the summit, plus a concrete structure from the second world war, along with a set of replica whales jaw bones erected in 2008, trig point and view indicator, it's all up there. We could have wandered up the hill from North Berwick Law car park but opted to take in some of the town before making our ascent.

After parking in the St Andrews Street car park we made our way via High Street and Market Place and Victoria Street plus many shops to the Scottish Seabird Centre, a quick snack in the café followed before wandering towards the hill we'd come to climb. Via Victoria Street then Kirk Ports before Law Road guided us to the foot of the hill. From the car park way marked paths ushered us to the summit, we sat swigging coffee drinking in wonderful views over the Firth of Forth to the Fife coast, dominating the scene the unmistakable Bass Rock home to the largest gannet colony in the world, over 150,000 birds, look through a decent lens and the sight is surreal. We sat ages before re-tracing our steps back to St Andrews Street.

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home.

Views across Milsey Bay from the sea front, North Berwick.

Dominating the view today, Bass Rock.

Rising above North Berwick, North Berwick Law.

Sadly all that remains of the Auld Kirk of St Andrew.

On the lower slopes of North Berwick Law.

Gain a little height and the views open up.

The coast of Fife as seen from near the summit of North Berwick Law.

Not many hills can boast a set of these, whales jaw bones have adorned this hill since 1709, the originals were replaced in 1933, these are replicas made of fibre glass erected in 2008.

Views to the east over the pastoral lands of East Lothian, Tantallan Castle nestles on the shore, top centre.

Bass Rock, the white hue is sea birds mainly gannets.

Hazy views along the East Lothian coast.

The summit North Berwick Law is adorned with a number of decorations, some not so picturesque as others, the traditional trig point, jaw bones already mentioned and to the right the base of a view indicator I wish I'd photographed....

....a Napoleonic watch house, behind me a concrete structure, not so pretty a second world war lookout.

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