Doon Hill, Dunbar
Head south on the A1 just past the formidable presence of Torness Nuclear Power Station appears on the skyline and look out for the brown signposts directing you to make a left hand turn to Doon Hill. Once off the A1, the small single track road takes you quickly through a right hand turn, and then a left hand turn where another sign imminently announces that you have arrived at your destination.
To your right you will notice a straight, grassy track that heads straight up the hill, maybe 200m or so- this is advertised as leading to a car park, however in my humble opinion, and as someone who’s daily drive is a long wheelbase, rear wheel drive Mercedes campervan I can tell you that, at least on the cool spring day that we picked for this adventure- the chances of me attempting to climb my vehicle up this apparent mud slide was zero. Unless you are driving a compact 4x4 my advice is to mentally prepare yourself for a mini hill-hike if you are keen to visit this historical landmark! We abandoned ship at the bottom of the track, doing our best not to block the track of the field entrance right next to it.. Consider yourself warned!
Looking back to the where we abandoned the van. Photo taken from the bottom half of the ‘road’ to the carpark
The top of the ‘road’ looking back towards where the van is parked
Having resigned ourselves to continuing this journey on foot we proceeded straight up the ‘road’ to the car park. On our right hand side an electric tape-style fence held back a field of beautiful, friendly cows who appeared to be mildly interested in our existence, particularly our littlest person, who seemed to be determined to get in there with them and electrocute himself in the process (honestly, the more toddlers I spend time with, the more it’s a wonder to me that so many even make it through to childhood!). So having dragged toddles to the top of this road we eventually found the ‘car park’ which is just a grassy space, surrounded by gates into the surrounding fields with room for maybe 3 or 4 cars- we never saw another soul and I get the impression that this is not a heavily attended tourist attraction which makes it all the more appealing because once you enter the compound via a small, marked gate to the left you find yourself basically inside a large, flat plateau in the lower East Lothian hills. Considering how quickly you reach this location from leaving the busy A1, there is a wonderful feeling of remote-ness here. You can see for miles around each direction- a birds eye view of Torness Power Station opens out to the sea behind you and if you turn 90 degrees anticlockwise from there you will spot the Doon Hill trig point not far away- although to get to it you will need to climb a gate or two, scramble through some mud and dodge the cows. I did not fancy attempting this with unpredictable toddlers and crazy dogs in town... next time though, I plan to tick it off! Another anti-clockwise turn and you are gazing into a valley, with small copses of trees, gorse and more rugged grazing. Beyond that the rolling hills rise and I feel like, if you headed that way you could walk for miles and never reach another town (which is not far from reality as you would invariably find yourself joining the infamous Southern Upland Way as it crosses the whole width of the British Isles from it’s official start point just slightly further to the south near Eyemouth).
Looking back into the Lammermuirs….
And out to the sea (Torness Power Station in the far distance, and the cement works to the left)
Doon Hill (the attraction) is a Historic Scotland site that once housed a small iron-age settlement made up of a large thatched hall, fortifications and several outbuildings. A couple of notice-boards present information on the history of the site and detail the archeological finds that have been discovered here. All that remains today are tiny stone walls sunk into the ground, marking out foundations of what was clearly once, a bustling, important place. As you stand here and read these boards, it is easy to visualise what once was, and sense the history all around you. It is actually quite magical! The kids and dogs enjoyed the freedom of being able to run around in a big open space, and we made a game of chasing each other round and round the outer compound wall, taking in the labels and pretending to explore the buildings. On the surface, this site is not spectacular- please don’t visit expecting a days worth of interactive entertainment, or mind-blowing ruins. Instead, bring the kids, bring a picnic, bring your imagination, be playful, and open yourself up to nature and magic and the ghosts of the past. Transport yourself back in time, and if you cant do that, simply enjoy the present-day wind in your hair, the space, the freedom, and the nature, because that in itself is real life magic and I guarantee if you come here, you will feel its effects on your soul!
