North Berwick Law
About 2 km return from the Law car park · 187 m summit; roughly 150 m of ascent from the car park elevation
About
The volcanic plug that stands behind the town, 187 metres high and visible from most of East Lothian and from Edinburgh across the Firth. The path up from the car park on the B1347 at the foot of the hill is short, unmistakable and steep in its upper half, and it is the single best half-hour investment a visitor can make here: the summit gives you the whole town laid out below, both bays, the Bass Rock, Craigleith, the Lamb and Fidra strung across the Firth, and the Fife coast beyond. At the top are the remains of a Napoleonic-era signal station and the whalebone arch. Be clear about the arch: it is a fibreglass replica put up in June 2008, after the last set of real whale jawbones collapsed in June 2005. It is still the town's skyline emblem, and locals are entirely unbothered that it is a copy.
Highlights
- ✓The whalebone arch on the summit skyline, a 2008 fibreglass replica of the original jawbones
- ✓The ruined Napoleonic signal station
- ✓Craigleith, the Lamb, Fidra and the Bass Rock all in one view
- ✓The town, both beaches and the harbour laid out below
Tips
- →Free to climb and open at all times. Start from the car park on the B1347 at the foot of the hill rather than trying to find a way up from the town.
- →The upper section is steep, rough and slippery when wet. Proper shoes, not sandals.
- →It is fully exposed at the top and the wind off the Firth is stronger than it looks from the High Street.
- →Do it early on a clear morning if you want the islands sharp rather than in haze or haar.