Walk: Coldingham & St Abbs – a church, crabs & a Creel Road

📌 Coldingham, Scottish Borders
★★★

This straightforward circuit links the attractive villages of Coldingham and St Abbs, following a burbling burn and visiting a beautiful sandy beach (with rockpooling options) at Coldingham Bay. The return uses the Creel Road – an ancient path once used by Coldingham fisherman to access the sea. Named after the wicker baskets they would have carried their catch in, the route runs through a tunnel of trees in between fields, with good views back towards the coast where the vegetation thins out. Both villages have good options for refreshments, and are worth exploring in their own right.

📷 Chronological photo guide

🌍 Location

📌 Start / finish at main road junction in Coldingham village centre

🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NT 903659

🛰️ GPS coordinates: 55.886815,-2.156774

🚌 Bus to Coldingham

🚗 Car park

📝 Key info

▶ 6 km / 4 mi | ▲ 170 m | ⌛ 1.5 hr

Features: 🏠 Coldingham; 🏖️ Coldingham Bay ★★; 🏠 St Abbs ★★ & village sights

⬤ Easy | Paths (narrow / rough in places), tracks & pavements, some ascent / descent.

➡️ Anticlockwise circuit: start, Coldingham & Priory – St Andrew’s Burn – Milldown Burn – Milldown Point – Coldingham Bay – St Abb’s – St Abbs Visitor Centre – start via Creel Road

Download file for GPS

🥾 On our last visit

Wildlife: Pheasants, seagulls, small woodland birds, small crabs at the beach,

Weather: Mostly sunny on the coast with cloudier skies inland. 10°C, moderate westerly breeze.

April 2026 (some photos less recent)