Gullane Beach – Dirleton Circular (including the hanging caves)
Allow at least 2-3 hours for this slightly longer walk, I believe it is around 10km, but with a toddler in tow and on a sunny day with lots to see, it definitely felt longer!
I have been desperate to discover the ‘hanging caves’ (sometimes also referred to as the Gullane Caves/Dirleton Caves/Smuggles Caves) ever since I first learned of their existence from a few google searches around ‘hidden gems of East Lothian’. I identified that they appeared to be a short distance from one of our favourite regulars Yellowcraigs beach, however, a couple of half-hearted attempts to locate them from that side have remained fruitless- I think the actual distance is greater than google-maps makes it appear, and also it is very difficult to get round from this side if the tide is in.
So, on the day that I fully committed to locating these caves, I launched our expedition from the other side, beginning our journey at the car park at Gullane Bents. On a lovely, sunny day this vast sandy beach is unrivalled for its beauty, gazing out to sea from the top of one of the massive dunes, you could almost be in Greece, Portugal, or Spain, though without the cocktails and militant rows of sun loungers... The car park sits at the top of the dunes and as you descend the path winding through the gorse and wildflowers that so define East Lothian’s beauty spots, you can see the whole sandy bay below you, it is particularly impressive when the tide is out.
Looking back to Gullane Beach (car park is up at top)
Once on the beach, you want to turn right, and just keep walking. Enjoy the sand under your toes and the salt in the air as you head to the rocky outcrop that defines the edge of the main bay. You will pass a particularly large, sandy dune just before this, and take my word for it, there is no better feeling than running up this just to launch yourself back down it in whatever fashion you see fit. I have been down on my bum, ‘surfed it’ on a boogie board and ‘sausage-rolled' at great speed leaving me very, very dizzy but full of the joys of life!
Sand-dune surfing!
As long as you are undertaking this walk at a reasonably low-tide, you will always have some form of path to follow along the coast. Even if you were to attempt a high tide ramble, you would manage to find your way along the dunes- where multiple paths weave in and out of the seagrass and gorse, but it makes for a different type of walk, and on this particular mission I wanted to hug the sea. The coastline seems to change every 100m or so, one minute the landscape underfoot is dominated by lava-formed stacks of black rock, interspersed with rockpools that initially appear devoid of life, but the longer you look the more you will discover they are actually home to anemones, crabs, shrimp and other strange little sea creatures going about their daily business. The next you will find yourself high on a grassy dune, looking down into another bay, crystal clear, shallow water, often sandy, occasionally pebbled. One bay in particular, is a mass of flat, sea worn pebbles that click and clack together as you walk on them, a tinkling sound so magical and unusual that I had to record it on my phone.
Rock-pooling
This stretch of coastline with its multiple, individual bays feels like unchartered territory compared to the main Gullane/ Yellowcraig beaches accessible straight from their carparks. We barely saw another soul, and I decided that the next time we have a family beach day, this is where I will come... unspoiled, quiet, away from the crowds. Perfect. Plenty of treasures to be collected also, if you are like me and unable to visit a beach anywhere without leaving with pockets of seaglass, the prettiest of shiny shells, and the smoothest of pebbles.
One of the beautiful sandy bays
Keep walking the coast for what will feel like forever until you catch site of a smally, long rocky island not far out, and devoid of interesting features- this is the fabulously-named Eyebroughty, and beyond that in the distance, the bigger and more notable island of Fidra should come into view, topped with its iconic lighthouse. This is the point at which you know you are finally close to the caves. The path will climb up onto the dunes and a final large sandy bay will stetch out below you. You will know the one I refer to because visible in the distance is a wooden staircase winding from the beach up to a large hut which Hubs leads me to believe is a refreshment spot on the golf course up there. The caves can be found just before this staircase. Closer towards you, you may also be able to spot a stone cairn that marks the inland turning point of the walk- I will come to that shortly, but for now head past it and look out for the sneaky sandy path, secluded by trees, that leads to some makeshift steps and up to the infamous hanging caves.
Looking up to the first cave
Keeping to the right up these steps will bring you to the entrance of the smaller (but still impressive) of the two caves. With a wide entrance and low roof, it has the feel of a shelter more than a cavern, and despite signs of recent habitation (most likely, local kids having campfires), it was pleasantly clean and free from litter. Coming out from this cave and following the path to right across the front of the ‘edge’ you will find the larger of the caves, featuring an odd brick frontage, presumably added at some point to prevent damage or collapse of the ceiling. This cave is deeper and bigger, a proper cavern. In the bright light of day, my eyes could not see right into the recesses of the cave, and I found this surprisingly creepy, so much so that I had to call an unsuspecting dog in with me for moral support (or maybe to use as bait if required)! On closer inspection it turned out that the cave was not actually full of terrifying monsters, pirate ghosts, creepy humans or dead bodies and was in fact... Completely empty. Pheew, a lucky escape!
Looking out from the biggest cave
The caves have been well excavated and signs of habitation dating back to the iron age observed, and its easy to see why latterly, they were used by smugglers to stash their goodies! Overall, I felt that these caves were an awesome find, a real hidden treasure of their own and well worth the expedition!
The plane crash memorial
A quick scramble back down to the beach, re-trace your step and head to that cairn I told you about earlier. It is a monument to a war-time plane crash and features a decorative propeller and a whole load of highly un-decorative signs advising you not to dig/disturb the ground here in any way. From here, an obvious path winds inland towards a line of trees. Ignore any tributary paths until you come to a large sign advising something about the management of the environment of the golf course, and turn right here as the path follows the line of trees and eventually becomes more of a track. If golf is your thing, you have most likely heard of this golf course that you are now casually wandering through. It is the infamous ‘Reneissance’ course at Archerfield, home, I believe, to the Scottish Open amongst other big tournaments- its not really my thing to be honest but I guess it looks nicely maintained (in my highly unqualified opinion)!
The track through the golf course
Random motorhome!
Eventually this path becomes almost a road and passes by some of the insanely posh houses of Archerfield Village. Very randomly, there is a spray-painted motorhome in a wooded clearing with tables outside of it and a sign that says ‘we are sick of hiding the bodies’ on the window... it had dried flowers arranged outside it though so honestly...I have no absolutely idea what to make of that! Just beyond this, you will reach a gatehouse and a set of large locked gates. Pedestrians are signposted to the right and there are a couple of small gates to pass through before you emerge onto the side of a main road. Now, from here it is as simple as following this path all the way back into, and right through Gullane village. Follow signposts to ‘Gullane Bents’ and head up the hill to reclaim your car. This last bit is a trek, I won’t deny that, so on completion of this walk you have my permission to buy yourself a well-earned ice-cream from the van!