📌 Whitekirk, East Lothian
★★★★
East Lothian was once home to St Baldred, a Northumbrian monk who came and founded a monastery at Tyninghame in the 8th century. He lends his name to nearby St Baldred’s Cradle, a gorgeous headland on the north side of the (Scottish) River Tyne. A charming coast path winds through mixed woodland and WWII tank traps before continuing to the exposed tip of the headland. There’s an ancient cairn here along with great views across to Bass Rock, where the saint spent his later years in a remote hermitage. An expansive beach at Ravensheugh Sands rounds off the route, best explored at low tide along with its many rockpools. All in all, well worth the parking charge.
📷 Chronological photo guide
🌍 Location
📌 Start / finish on Limetree Walk, 2 mi east of Whitekirk
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NT 626809
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 56.019652,-2.600246
❌ No public transport within 1 mi. Bus stops on A198 at beach turnoff (1.5 mi)
🚗 Car park (charge)
📝 Key info
▶ 5 km / 3 mi | ▲ 40 m | ⌛ 1.5-2 hr
Features: 🌊 St Baldred’s Cradle headland; 🏖️ Ravensheugh Sands ★★★★
⬤ Easy | Track to coast, then braided woodland path, sometimes narrow. Sandy beach then track for return. A little mud.
Download file for GPS➡️ Anticlockwise circuit: start – coast at south end of Links Wood – St Baldred’s Cradle – Ravensheugh Sands – start
🥾 On our last visit
Wildlife: Eider ducks, rock pool crabs & fish.
Weather: 10°C, mostly sunny with passing clouds, breezy.
April 2023
