Last Bits in Scotland...

On my final day, Gillian took me to Archerfield Walled Garden, where we had lunch when I had first arrived. We took a walk on their Magical Fairy Trail...

…and Willow Garden...

…which included a willow yurt...

…and a willow church.

I was happy to spot some deer in the distance.

Then we drove into Edinburgh so Gillian could show me where she grew up and for a quick stop to see her parents, whom I had met several times in Voorschoten. After lunch and ice cream, we popped over to see this funny building that looked like a set from a cowboy movie before Gillian dropped me off at the airport. I was sad that my great week in Scotland had already come to an end.

Was very surprised to be served a beer to-go in a coffee cup at Edinburgh Airport, but I wasn’t complaining. Nor was I complaining when I got to Schiphol and my luggage arrived, but I saw lots of evidence that other travelers weren’t so lucky. 
 

Rapeseed Fields and More Views...

Gillian finished our grand tour of the North Berwick area with a stop amongst the rapeseed fields, which made me very happy...

…and at another vantage point to see Tantallon Castle and Bass Rock.

We stopped at her local fish ‘n chips shop to pick up dinner for the final night of my visit and then took one last walk on the beach path behind their house.

 

The Bridge to Nowhere...

Our next stop was Belhaven Bay Beach in John Muir Country Park. We weren’t there to see the beach...

…but to see the Bridge to Nowhere...

…which, like the beach, can only be accessed at low tide.

From this angle, it looked like it was inaccessible, but the actual path went off at an angle.  

While we didn’t stick around long enough for high tide...

…Gillian sent me this photo from when she went back 10 days later. 

 

North Berwick...

Afterwards we continued into the center of North Berwick, the largest town near Gillian’s house. 

We enjoyed some window shopping as well as popping into a few quaint shops and stopping for a tea and cake.

We found some ruins in the town as well: St. Andrew’s Kirk Ports. This former church from 1664 was used for up to 500 parishioners for 219 years, when its roof was dismantled and the rest of the building stripped to move everything of value to the new larger still-standing St. Andrew’s.  

Surrounding the ruins of the church was an ancient cemetery.

A Hilltop Café and a Museum...

Our next stop was another beach...

…and a charming hilltop café built in two shipping containers.

We weren’t offered a window seat, but could still enjoy the view and a tasty lunch.

The rocky volcanic island visible was called Bass Rock. It once was the site of an important castle, but now serves as a nesting ground for the largest colony in the world of 150,000 gannets, a diving seabird.

We saw this stuffed gannet, the largest seabird in the North Atlantic, at the Coastal Communities Museum, housed in the North Berwick Library. 

Lighthouses are definitely an important aspect of life in Scotland with its long rocky coastline and 790 islands. The museum spotlighted lighthouse designers Robert Stevenson and his son Thomas Stevenson, the father of Robert Louis Stevenson, the famed writer. There’s conjecture that Fidra, the island seen from Gillian’s house with a lighthouse designed by his father, was the inspiration for the map in Treasure Island.

 

Tantallon Castle...

From the summit of The Law, we saw ruins in the distance. 

The following morning, Gillian and I visited those ruins: Tantallon Castle. Built around 1350, it was used as a coastal fortress until about 1650.  

The castle itself had been closed for quite some time awaiting masonry inspections, but we enjoyed wandering around the grounds.

 

Further Explorations...

After our jaunt up The Law and lunch back at the house, Gillian and I headed back out to visit Chesters Hill Fort. Dating back around 2,000 years, there’s nothing actually left except for some mounds.  It became an important site once again when an observation post was built on the summit to watch over the nearby RAF base during World War II.

The site was worth visiting due to the large flowering bushes...

…and expansive views...

…including of The Law.

Once back at the house, we took a much longer walk along the beach heading north this time. This island is Fidra, currently a nature reserve. The lighthouse dates back to 1885 and was manned until 1970, when it became Scotland’s first automated lighthouse.

Megan cooked us a yummy vegetarian dinner. Later we went outside to check out the sunset.