Smugglers Trail  ~ Eyemouth to Burnmouth

Discover the dramatic coastline, where the smugglers of old plied their trade!

A sheltered cove on the Smugglers Trail between Eyemouth and Burnmouth.

Advice for Walkers

From near sea-level at Gunsgreen, the Smugglers Trail Eyemouth to Burnmouth rises to over 100m on fairly gentle gradients. (The highest point is marked on OS maps as Blaikie Heugh.) The going is generally dry, though rough underfoot in places. The path follows close to the the line of the cliffs all the way. Great care should be taken here if walking with children and dogs. It is not suitable for wheelchairs. From Gunsgreen House, cross the golf course to reach the rocky shoreline. Then turn right. A path between the golf course and the sea rises towards high cliffs ahead before descending gently towards Burnmouth.

• Distance: Approx 3 miles (5km).
• Grade: Moderate. No really steep stretches, but the pathway is not surfaced at any point. Suitable for walkers of average fitness.
  

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Smugglers Tales

(Please note – numbers are keyed to the map on the right)

1. Gunsgreen House. With John Nisbet, the owner of Gunsgreen House, such an active participant in the smuggling business, 18th-century records have plenty of references to his activities. For example, the Haugh – the flat area behind the house – was the scene of an incident in 1773 when three of ‘Mr Nisbet’s servants’ were caught with brandy and madeira ‘part lying on the beach and part carrying off on the Haugh at Gunsgreen’. This area was also where, under the direction of Nisbet’s clerk, a Nisbet brothers’ ship the Molly, also landed contraband (according to the contemporary account of an informer!)

2)  Viewpoint to Fairneyside. From the higher points of the walk, looking south, the farm of Fairneyside (2) is visible near the A1. In the 1780s, the family living there, the Gibsons, were involved in a variety of smuggling enterprises. A daughter of the household even married into one of the most notorious families of the English smuggling trade on the south coast – the Dangerfields of Folkestone. By this time in the early 1800s, smuggling was in decline in Eyemouth as the Revenue were becoming better equipped to deal with it.

3) Burnmouth. Also visible looking south towards Burnmouth is the Ross Shore. This is the rugged coastline immediately beyond – to the south of – the last houses along the shore. It was another stretch often used as a smuggling rendezvous of old. For example, the Excise records record the seizing of a cargo here from schooner Jean of Eyemouth in 1774.

Signs of smuggling in Eyemouth.

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What Else To See

Lower Burnmouth from the Smugglers Trail

All along the walk the cliffs and gullies and the narrow and wilder strip beyond the field edges are important places for wildlife, havens for plants and butterflies. Linnets, meadow pipits and other small birds frequent the gorse and grassland – and also look out for wheatears, common here in spring and summer. As on other rocky parts of the coast, gull-like fulmars hover and drift on the updraft from the cliffs – and can be a challenge to photograph!

Naturally, the higher cliff areas are great viewpoints, offering a sweep of Borderland that includes, on the horizon, beyond the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, both Lindisfarne and its castle, as well as Bamburgh Castle and (distantly) the Farne Islands.

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If time permits, go downhill at Burnmouth to sea-level. The picturesque string of houses between cliffs and shore to the north is known as Partanhall. (A partan is a Scots word for an edible crab.) Lower Burnmouth is at the harbour, Cowdrait beyond, while smallest of all is Ross, with its smuggling associations. The harbour here dates from 1830s and was extended in 1879 and 1959. In 1881, 24 Burnmouth fishers were lost in the infamous storm of 1881 that took a high toll all along this coast.

Refreshments / toilets on the walk

Eyemouth has a wide choice of cafes, pubs and restaurants. There are toilet facilities at Eyemouth harbour car park. There is a pub at Burnmouth, by the A1 and a public portaloo at Burnmouth harbour. There is also tea and coffee available as well as toilet facilities at Gunsgreen House (for house visitors).

Getting back to Eyemouth

Fit walkers will want to go back on foot! Otherwise Perryman’s buses connect Burnmouth with Eyemouth. Full timetable details from Perryman’s buses website. Or select an Eyemouth taxi service on that link.

Disclaimer

All walking information provided here by Gunsgreen House and their agents is purely advisory and offered free of charge. Walkers must assess their own fitness and the route’s suitability for their party. Gunsgreen House can accept no responsibility for any accident or loss while on the Smugglers Trail or Berwickshire Coastal Path.