The great outdoors: Wander from Arthur’s Seat to the historic town that’s been fought over through the ages

This Great Scottish Journey is not, strictly speaking, all Scottish as it strays across the border into England and Northumberland to finish at the lovely town of Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Still, with a turbulent history that saw this town’s governance change between Scotland and England more than a dozen times, and the fact that Berwick Rangers Football Club, until recently, played in the Scottish League, it seems the natural place to finish a magnificent 60-mile journey that begins in Edinburgh.

As well as visiting two countries the route also passes through Lothian, East Lothian and the Scottish Borders.

The most direct way is along the A1, but my favourite trip leaves from Edinburgh and involves a couple of diversions to visit, among others, Portobello, Haddington, Dunbar, St Abbs and Cove – all lovely spots to take a break and go for a wander.

Arthur’s Seat, above Edinburgh, and Traprain Law, near East Linton, grant magnificent vantage points to view much of the route.

Once in Berwick a superb walk around the Town Walls is highly recommended, as is a saunter along the River Tweed to the breathtaking Royal Border Bridge.

Factfile

• Notable people born in Haddington include King Alexander II and the Protestant reformer John Knox.
• In 1919, archaeological excavations uncovered a huge hoard of Roman silver on Traprain Law, dating from the 5th Century AD.
• The Creel Path that links the villages of St Abbs and Coldingham has been in use for more than 1,000 years.
• Skateraw Bay, which lies a few miles south of Dunbar, is a Site of Special Scientific Interest where oystercatcher, curlew, dunlin and small copper butterfly can be spotted.
• The exceptional 28-arch Royal Border Bridge was the final link of the Newcastle to Berwick railway line and was opened in 1850 by Queen Victoria.

You can read about a whole series of fantastic journeys in our fabulous book from Keith Fergus. To get a copy, go to dcthomsonshop.co.uk or telephone 0800 318 846 (Freephone UK). Lines open Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat 9am-5pm