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| North Berwick (pronounced barrack) is a seaside resort town at the mouth of the Firth of Forth in East Lothian. I caught a Saturday-morning train here from Waverley Station in Edinburgh. I'm here to go castle-hunting. |
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| The North Berwick Law is a volcanic hill overlooking the town, "law" being a Scots term for a hill that rises incongruously from the surrounding area. I'd say it's a safe bet that I make it up there at some point today. |
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| Note to Dad: they have boats here. Note to Mom: they also have golf. |
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| But first to business. I am told there is a castle down this road somewhere... |
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| I spy a castle. I just have to cross somebody's cornfield to get to it. |
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| Aha! Tantallon Castle is a 14th-century fortress perched on a cliff overlooking the North Sea. The main defensive wall has been well restored, so you can climb up on it for great views in every direction. |
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| Castle-y photograph |
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| Looking west over the countryside from the castle. North Berwick is about four miles away, on the other side of the Law. |
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| Just offshore from Tantallon Castle, the Bass Rock has held chapels, military garrisons and prisons in the past. The only things there now are a lighthouse and a lot of birds. This is the view from the castle ramparts. |
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| Northwest across the Firth of Forth. |
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| And of course I climbed the North Berwick Law on the way back. This is the view from the summit, looking northeast onto the North Sea. You can see the castle along the shoreline at center, and the Bass Rock just offshore. Sidenote: "hillwalking" is quickly becoming a favorite hobby of mine. |
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| Westward view over North Berwick and the mouth of the Firth. The structure in the foreground is what remains of a Napoleonic-era lookout post. |
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| Ending the day with fish 'n chips on the North Berwick quay. |
