Belhaven, or 'beautiful harbour', is about right for this glorious sweep of sand, which arcs beside open sea for nearly 2 miles on the fringes of John Muir Country Park west of Dunbar. Known for its surfing, it's backed by the park's romantic tableau of sand dunes, salt marsh and woodlands (where you'll also find facilities like a play park and barbecue stoves). Crossing a stream at its eastern end is the 'Bridge to Nowhere', photogenically marooned at high tide.
Belhaven Bay
Scotland
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
25.68 MILES
Edinburgh Castle has played a pivotal role in Scottish history, both as a royal residence – King Malcolm Canmore (r 1058–93) and Queen Margaret first made…
25.91 MILES
Many years may have passed since Dan Brown's novel The Da Vinci Code and the subsequent film came out, but floods of visitors still descend on Scotland's…
24.53 MILES
Built on Clydeside, the former Royal Yacht Britannia was the British Royal Family's floating holiday home during their foreign travels from the time of…
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art
26.68 MILES
Edinburgh's gallery of modern art is split between two impressive neoclassical buildings surrounded by landscaped grounds some 500m west of Dean Village…
24.63 MILES
The Scottish Parliament Building, on the site of a former brewery and designed by Catalan architect Enric Miralles (1955–2000), was opened by the Queen in…
25.85 MILES
Edinburgh's Royal Botanic Garden is the second-oldest institution of its kind in Britain (after Oxford), and one of the most respected in the world…
24.54 MILES
This palace is the royal family's official residence in Scotland but is more famous as the 16th-century home of the ill-fated Mary, Queen of Scots. The…
24.24 MILES
The rocky peak of Arthur’s Seat (251m), carved by ice sheets from the deeply eroded stump of a long-extinct volcano, is a distinctive feature of Edinburgh…
Nearby Scotland attractions
1.13 MILES
This excellent interactive museum pays rousing tribute to Dunbar native John Muir (1838–1914), better known as a pioneer conservationist and the father of…
2. Dunbar Town House Museum and Gallery
1.16 MILES
This turreted 16th-century town house is home to a small museum outlining Dunbar's history and points of interest, and a gallery exhibiting the work of…
4.92 MILES
No, you haven't stepped into a landscape painting – just onto Seacliff Beach, a pristine sweep of sand with views of bird-thronged Bass Rock and majestic…
5.54 MILES
Perched on a cliff 3 miles east of North Berwick is the spectacular ruin of Tantallon Castle. Built around 1350, the red-sandstone fortress was the…
7.82 MILES
Top marks to the bright spark who came up with the idea for this centre, an ornithologist's paradise that uses remote-control video cameras sited on Bass…
9.41 MILES
Rising cathedral tall beside the River Tyne is St Mary's, the largest parish church in Scotland. Founded in 1380, the structure took nearly 100 years to…
9.6 MILES
Two miles west of North Berwick is this impressive medieval fortress with massive round towers, a drawbridge and a horrific pit dungeon, surrounded rather…
9.92 MILES
A broad sandy cove fringed by dunes, meadows and woodland, Yellowcraig looks out to the island of Fidra and its Victorian lighthouse (the inspiration for…