North Berwick’s Beaches & the Coast Walk: Golden Sands, Sunsets & the Famous Links

North Berwick’s Beaches & the Coast Walk: Golden Sands, Sunsets & the Famous Links

Sunset over the Firth of Forth from the North Berwick coast.
Sunset over the Firth of Forth — North Berwick’s coast is one of our very favourite stretches of shore, and we keep coming back.

Overview

North Berwick is blessed with some of the finest beaches on the east coast — two great sweeps of clean golden sand right in the town, backed by wildflower dunes, strung together by a lovely coast walk, and looking out to the Bass Rock. Add in some of the most famous golf links in the world and sunsets to stop you in your tracks, and you have a coast we’ve walked more times than we can count.

The beaches

The town sits between its two beaches. To the west is the broad West Bay, curving round to the harbour; to the east, Milsey Bay (the East Beach) runs out below the Glen. Both are clean, safe and sandy, brilliant for families, dog walks and a paddle, with rock pools to explore at low tide and that old open-air tidal pool by the harbour. On a warm day they’re a joy; on a wild one, bracing and beautiful.

North Berwick beach under a big blue sky.
West Bay under a big summer sky.
Low tide and firm sand at North Berwick.
Low tide, and acres of firm golden sand.
A quiet afternoon on the sands at North Berwick.
A quiet afternoon on the sands.
A walk along the shore at North Berwick.
A wander along the shore.
The sand spit at the east end of the bay, North Berwick.
The sand spit at the east end of the bay.
Feet up on the beach at North Berwick.
Feet up — the only way to do a beach day.
Rock pools at low tide on the North Berwick shore.
Rock pools to potter about in at low tide.
Wild bluebells flowering in the dune grass above the beach at North Berwick.
Bluebells in the dune grass in spring.

🗺️ The coast walk

The real pleasure here is to walk the coast. A grand path runs east out of the town, along the top of the beach and out through the dunes past the Glen golf course, with the Bass Rock keeping you company the whole way — part of the long-distance John Muir Way. We’ve done it in every season and every light. Here’s roughly the line we take, mapped from our own walks:

🗺️ Find it: open North Berwick’s coast in Google Maps →
The coastal path winding through the dunes at North Berwick.
The coastal path winding east through the dunes.
The coast stretching east toward the Bass Rock, North Berwick.
The coast running east toward the Bass.
An early morning walk on the empty sands at North Berwick.
An early walk on the empty morning sands.
Lillie the dog on the beach at first light, North Berwick.
Lillie, first on the beach at dawn.

The dunes & the wildflowers

The dunes behind the beaches are lovely in their own right — a tangle of marram grass that comes alive in spring and summer with bluebells, sea pinks (thrift) and orchids. It’s a little world of its own between the town and the tide, and a fine place to wander with a dog.

White cow parsley flowering in the dunes with the Bass Rock out to sea, North Berwick.
Cow parsley frothing white in the dunes — the Bass Rock out beyond.
A carpet of bluebells along the North Berwick coast path.
A carpet of bluebells along the path.
A balanced-stone cairn on a rock with the surf washing in, North Berwick beach.
Someone’s balanced-stone cairn, catching the surf.
The marram dunes behind the beach at North Berwick.
The marram dunes that back the whole coast.
Lillie the dog on a grassy dune above the sea, North Berwick.
Lillie surveying her coast.
Lillie the dog on the beach at North Berwick.
Lillie in her element.

Sunsets over the Forth

Facing north and west across the water, North Berwick serves up spectacular sunsets — the sky over the Forth turning gold and pink behind the Bass Rock and the hills of Fife. We’ve sat on these dunes with a flask more evenings than we can remember, and it never gets old.

Sunset by the old pier at North Berwick.
Sunset down by the old pier.
The last of the light over the water, North Berwick.
The last of the light over the Forth.
Golden hour on the North Berwick coast.
Golden hour on the coast.

⛳ Scotland’s Golf Coast

This is hallowed ground for golfers. Right in the town, the North Berwick West Links is one of the oldest and most famous links courses in the world (golf has been played here since 1832), home to the original “Redan” hole that’s been copied on courses the world over. On the cliffs to the east, the Glen course (the East Links) has some of the finest views in golf, straight out to the Bass. And just along the coast at Gullane lies Muirfield, one of the greatest championship links on earth and a regular host of The Open — with Gullane, Archerfield and the Renaissance Club all close by. Little wonder they call this Scotland’s Golf Coast.

The Glen golf course on the cliffs east of North Berwick.
The Glen course, laid out along the cliffs.
Golf fairways along the sea at North Berwick.
Fairways running right down to the sea.

The Bass Rock & the view

Out beyond the sand, the Bass Rock dominates every view — the great gannet island that gives the coast its character. You can read all about it, and the boat trips out to it, on our Harbour & Seabird Centre and Bass Rock & the coast pages.

The Bass Rock out in the Firth of Forth off North Berwick.
The Bass Rock, always out there on the horizon.

🚦 Staying overnight

This coast has long been a favourite of ours to stop over in the van, waking up to the sea and the Bass Rock and walking the empty morning beach before anyone’s about. It’s a special spot for it.

More from our visits

A quiet stretch of the North Berwick shore.
A quiet stretch of the North Berwick shore.
Sunset along the East Lothian coast.
Sunset along the East Lothian coast.
Rocky shore below the coast path.
Rocky shore below the coast path.

Nearby

Sources

  • First-hand: Kevin & family, North Berwick, many visits 2023–2025 (own photos; coast walk mapped from our own GPS tracks).
  • North Berwick Golf Club (West Links, from 1832 & the Redan hole), the Glen Golf Club, and Muirfield / the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers (the wider “Golf Coast”).