Aberlady Bay Nature Reserve
Landscape In East Lothian, Borders
The UK's first local nature reserve, established in 1952.
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On our recent trip to North Berwick in March 2025, we had an extensive list of things to do, and we had it on good authority (Thanks Jos!) that Aberlady Bay Nature Reserve was worth a visit. It certainly is a beautiful place and there was lots of wildlife to see straight away.
Aberlady Bay was the first site in the UK to be designated as a local nature reserve in 1952. It is obviously a very popular local nature reserve and the car park was pretty much full by mid afternoon.
On arrival we were able to see the mudflats uncovered by the tides, so we saw plenty of wildlife here including Curlew, Shelduck and lots of Teal. A good start! As well as the mudflats, there are salt-marshes, ponds, yellow mires, woodland, grassland, dunes and of course, the beautiful coastline so we were hopeful to see a wide variety of birds.
There are a number of paths to wander along, but we opted for a path that took us from the car park straight to Gullane Point, which was about a 6km walk there and back. Not a bad walk, but we were already shattered from climbing Berwick Law, and visiting North Berwick, Luffness Water Tower and Luffness Friary in the morning. One day we'll go on holiday for a rest.
We continued our walk and spotted Skylark, Stonechat, Pink-footed Geese and a Sparrowhawk along the way. One of the highlights though was a very pretty and unexpected Snow Bunting, which was in no hurry to get away from us, so we managed to get a couple of snaps of it near Gullane Point.
The beach at Gullane Point was absolutely stunning - it was empty and vast and reminded me of the sweeping beaches we have on Holy Island or Goswick and Cheswick in Northumberland. There were some birds bobbing about on the waves here including Eider Ducks and Red Throated Divers, and Scoter are often seen here too. From the beach we also spotted the silhouette of Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh to the west - an unexpected treat.
After a lovely peaceful walk, we headed back to the car taking in the views again, including views of Berwick Law, which seemed to loom over us from every angle. As well as all of the beautiful wildlife you might see, you may spot a variety of plants on the reserve, including Yellow Flag Iris, Frog Orchid or Sea Buckthorn. We also nearly stood on a hefty Common Frog on the path, so keep an eye out for those!
A gorgeous place to visit for a peaceful couple of hours, and there are toilets on site too - bonus!
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Where Is Aberlady Bay Nature Reserve?
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56.01737, -2.854046
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Where To Park For Aberlady Bay Nature Reserve?
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56.014298, -2.849754
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There is a dedicated car park for the nature reserve.
Contributed by Sandra Clemens
I love the great outdoors and have been a National Trust & English Heritage member for years. I also love going off the beaten track and finding places like Sharp's Folly or Rothley Castle which are hidden gems in Northumberland. My favourite recent hike was climbing Red Screes in the Lake District on a whim, not fully grasping how high 776m was. It was still an achievement to conquer a Wainwright walk and I hope to do more one day.
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Join Our Facebook GroupAberlady Bay Nature Reserve was listed in Landscape // Borders // East Lothian