Seacliff beach lies four miles east of North Berwick. It is a private beach, but cars are allowed entry through the coin-operated barrier (£2). As soon as you drive down to the main car park, you are met with panoramic views of the Forth and over to the Bass Rock.
We took the mini-spotlight members down and let them run along the beach, play football, draw in the sand, examine rock pools and that was all before we headed to the ‘secret’ harbour.
Head west past the rock formations like this.
Tantallon Castle will come into view and as you head to the vantage point, you will see a harbour that has been blasted out of the red sandstone cliffs.
Caution should be exercised here as the ground is very uneven and eager children may be very tempted to go onto the harbour wall, but there is a big drop the other side.
You get excellent views over to Tantallon Castle from here.
Just off the A198 east of North Berwick, Seacliff is a little hidden gem. On the north side of the beach is a sheltered spot containing Seacliff Harbour, said to be the smallest in the UK. It's only 12 metres at its widest point, and 2 metres across at the entrance. The lobster pots around the entrance show that it's still working away, used by one local crab fisherman as there's only room for one boat.
The harbour was created in 1890 by the Laird Andrew Laidley, who blasted it out of the red sandstone, known locally as The Gegan, using steam engine and compressed air. Being small has its advantages. The harbour’s secret location away from the shoreline means that it never dries out. On the downside, the Secret Garden, the boat that calls it home is moored on a system of pulleys and weights to make sure it doesn’t bang off the sides.
Round and about there are more sights to see. The beach, popular with walkers and picnickers, has near perfect sandcastle building sand. Out to sea, a stone marker marks a crop of rocks known as St Baldred’s Boat. I have no idea what this is all about, only that is it named after the evangelist and hermit St Baldred who was sent by St Mungo to spread Christianity to the Lothians. You will also get some good views of Bass Rock, the world’s largest rock gannet colony, and Tantallon Castle from here, so it's a good place to come if you want to see the castle but save yourself the entrance fee!
The beach and estate command a strategic position at the mouth of the Firth of Forth, and control of the area has been contested through the ages. The beach and estate were used as a staging post for various raids on nearby Tantallon Castle from the 14th to the 17th century. Troops were also stationed here to prevent landings by the French during the Napoleonic Wars in 1798. Before bloodshed touched the area, the 8th century Christian missionary Saint Baldred was based in nearby Scoughall, and several features of the area have been named after him, such as "Ghegan Rock" (Churchman's Haven).
In quieter times, the ownership of the estate has changed hands on several occasions. Seacliff House was built in 1750 by Robert Colt. It was later bought by George Sligo who in 1841 employed the famous Scottish architect David Bryce to build a new house in baronial style on the core of the older house. However, in 1907 it was gutted by fire. The exterior survives almost complete with gables, turrets and bartizans. The outbuildings were later purchased by the Royal Navy who established a top-secret research base there during World War I. The station, known as HMS Scottish Seacliff, was mainly used for navigation training and U-Boat defence.
Robert Louis Stevenson was related to the Dale family, who still own and farm much of the land around Seacliff today.
Seacliff Beach is private, and entry for cars is controlled by a coin-operated barrier. The area is largely unspoiled and attracts surfers, dog-walkers and summer picnickers.
Seacliff Harbour is a sheltered spot accessible through a narrow channel, all blasted out of the red sandstone cliffs. This was constructed in 1890 by Andrew Laidlay, the then laird, who used a steam engine and compressed air to cut the stone. It was once home to boats owned by fisherman and landowners but today it is rarely used by boats and more for diving and dive training. The entrance measures just three metres across and it is the smallest harbour in the UK.
The estate is home to farming, the Seacliff Haulage depot and a small number of cottages.
