I realise that circumstances have meant that it has taken me a while to get round to wild camping my first trail. As I have attempted to explain in my camping section, it has been a gradual journey from bed and breakfasts on Hadrian’s Wall to tea in a tent on the Berwickshire Coastal Path.
I don’t often hear this dramatic trail come up in conversation on social media or blogs, perhaps because people who backpack in Scotland are understandably drawn to the magnetic Munros, the famous national parks or the beautiful highlands and islands, ignoring the beauty of parts of the east coast.
When I moved to the borders, I was struck by the beauty of the east coast between Bamburgh in Northumberland and St Abb’s Head in Berwickshire, so I am often tempted to return there to walk.
On a recent trip to Edinburgh, I was gazing out of the window, as the train runs so close to the coast between Berwick and Burnmouth that it almost knocks walkers into the sea. I noticed a couple of backpackers across the field walking along the coast path, who stopped and waved at us on the train. I got an overwhelming urge to be there waving, instead of on the train on my business errand, and so a week later I was.
Berwickshire has some of the longest and most dramatic cliffs on the British coast, which make walking this path a challenging and attractive experience which is ideal for wild camping. I’m sure I made some rookie wild camping errors, but I really enjoyed the challenge. I hope you will take a look at my trip report.
I have fond memories of that area.
My Uncle used to own the old jailhouse in Coldingham.
I’m up that way at the end of the week staying with a friend and boogieing on guitar, so we’ll probably go for the odd short coastal wander.
A chilly few days wild camping recently.
I’m just back from a 3 day jaunt in the Dales.
Hi Andrew, it’s a lovely stretch of coast around Coldingham and some good pitches. A lot of wildcampers seem to go to the Dales, I must read up on where the good sites are
Well, we had a good pitch, but it was miles from anywhere across a trackless bog. ☺️
I didn’t know there was trackless bog in t’Dales but then I’ve just done trails in Yorkshire 😊
Lots of snow melt.
We walked somewhat off piste.
Not on tracks.
Buckden Pike, to Whernside & Gt Whernside, then the boundry line and down Waterfall Gill Beck. Twas rather wet and spongy underfoot. ☺️
That was one advantage of the coastal path. It was mostly dry underfoot