The John Muir Way - Prestonpans to Dunbar

The final two segments of the John Muir Way cover 31 miles with stops in some of the most picturesque towns and villages: Gullane, North Berwick, and East Linton. We counted down the final few miles, crossed a sprawling beach in Belhaven, and strolled contentedly into Dunbar, John Muir's birthplace.

These final few sections of trail offered broad vistas of fields, beaches, and rocky seaside cliffs. At the coast we were greeted by a variety of bird species searching the surf for mussels, snails and fish. Tuxedoed oystercatchers and well camouflaged curlews plied the sand for treats while cormorants postured with wings outstretched, drying after a deep dive.

At Dunbar, we enjoyed a celebratory dinner, toured the informative John Muir Birthplace Museum, explored the parks, and strolled a unique red sand beach. On our third and final day in town we ventured out on one final hike, a six mile roundtrip jaunt to the nearby Barns Ness Lighthouse (pictured).

Our month long stay in Scotland offered surprisingly calm weather, diverse food, beautiful scenery, and some of the friendliest people around. This has truly been a walk to remember.

The John Muir Way - South Queensferry to Prestonpans

The seventh and eighth sections of the John Muir Way cover 25 miles which we enjoyed with stops in a diverse selection of Edinburgh's many neighborhoods: Cramond, Murrayfield, Newington, and Joppa. We paused briefly in Prestonpans for energizing food and drink before pushing on to Longniddry where a fantastic little garden cottage awaited our arrival. Having sampled the many castles, palaces, and estate homes that dot the landscape, we redirected our attention to Scotland's extensive natural beauty.

The hiking path was peppered with abundant acorns, spiky beechnuts, and young green pinecones; its perimeter painted with the most splendid colors of summer. Spectacular yellows, purples, and pinks were on display in the heather, rosebay willow-herb, and foxglove. We discovered thorny bramble bushes rich with ripe raspberries and blackberries and we enjoyed sampling their sweet and refreshing flavors. Nature's diverse buffet of nuts, flowers, and berries attracted a variety of birds, bees, and butterflies with chipper squirrels joining the bountiful feast as well.

The John Muir Way continues to impress us with its stunning diversity. During this leg of our journey we have literally taken the time to smell the wild roses, and are better off for the effort.