ALL PHOTOS CLICK FULL SCREEN.
Oil seed rape fields near Bathgate. Both the red shale heaps and the yellow flowers produce oil. Paraffin from the shale collected in the past, the large red bings of discarded (post oil production) shale in this area which still gives it a distinctive look... and the vivid yellow of the rapeseed fields ( called Canola in some other countries, like the USA and Australia.) It likes a dry growing climate so you rarely see this colour over on the Scottish west coast but on the east coast, with half the rainfall and more sunshine, it thrives. I still remember many decades of past trips just to see these yellow fields and red bings each spring. To walk up them or cycle through long lasting dazzling fields of bright yellow. My own wizard of OZ/ Yellow Brick Road love affair 'inside this golden triangle.' One of the highlights and main differences of the east coast. They have a grain and hay harvest all along this coast as well from Inverness, Aberdeen, Fife, down to the English border and beyond. Bare fields in autumn covered in hundreds of haystacks. many different types and shapes. Very few hay stacks in the soggy mountainous west.
So once again, in spring 2026 I took the three hour bus ride to Edinburgh and the Scottish east coast. Again a solo trip as friend Alan didn't fancy sitting for six hours on buses. Bus from my house to Buchanan bus station. City to city bus 900 to Edinburgh. Then 26 Seaton Sands bus to Longniddry... or just before it. The 26 is a handy bus for Portobello, Musselburgh, and in this case Seaton Sands. I took Chris Beckett's Dark Eden to read, A remarkable book ( eventually a trilogy of stunning books) about stranded human life existing on a cold distant planet without a sun. You get the 26 bus on Princes Street not far from the Scott Monument, seen above.
Which drops you off at Seaton Sands. A holiday park. The end point of this bus journey. From here I would walk the coastal path ( part of the John Muir Way) back to Musselburgh.
This is a walk I have done before but not for a long while. Keeps it fresh that way. The route passes through a collection of small towns and villages so this gives it extra interest.
26 bus. You can also get it outside Edinburgh Zoo or Haymarket heading east but I usually get it after I've used the bus station toilets in Edinburgh and have an empty bladder just in case of any delays on the way.
As you can see from this photo Edinburgh is a good distance away. Arthur's Seat and Edinburgh across the Firth of Forth. This is 'the sunshine coast.'
You pass through various costal communities and harbours on the John Muir Way. Cockenzie and Port Seaton Harbour here. Twin heritage centres linked by fishing and industry in the past. The massive coal fired Cockenzie Power Station was still in action when I first travelled through here over 20/30 years ago. Exploring this east coast then was a revelation and a game changer. Like the Munro bagging and Scottish island hopping before it... a brave new Eden to discover.... mostly alone. (Couldn't drag many bagging friends away from hills but that didn't matter.) Like John Muir, equally happy with my own company as long as I had an entire brand new environment/ world to discover with each passing visit.
Now all that's left is this mural of the chimney stacks and a large hole where the power station once stood. The pulverized coal, once reduced to fine dust in the process, had to be disposed of somehow and this resulted in one of the most remarkable and unique landscapes I've ever witnessed in Scotland. ( but more of that later... in part two.)
This is one of the grinding rings plus balls of the old power station used to break up the coal chunks.
Grinding ring info board.
Coastal Map. Cockenzie.
Coal, Salt, Fishing and soap making.... all gone in this area nowadays.
Just the history left now mainly... although a few locals keep traditions going in a small way.
The various small harbours add interest along this coastal walk.
The boatshore mystery.
Beautiful clear water. Spotted fish ten feet down from this sea wall.
King coal mural. Doing it the hard way in past times. Horse and human power.
Looking back at Cockenzie and Port Seaton from the empty power station vicinity.
The John Muir Way path skirts round it...
Cockenzie Power Station detour... The empty plot where it once stood.
Approaching Prestonpans. John Muir Way path.
Prestonpans. any place with pans or salt in the title, usually means in Scotland/UK sea salt and coal production in past times.
Bright colours. Sea wall plant.
Spring window boxes in Prestonpans.
Another small coastal town with a long history.
Cooking salt mural.
This small park in Prestonpans holds a hidden mural you could easily walk past.
Contained within this small building. A Robert Burns tribute mural.
Using some of his famous poems, especially Tam o' Shanter. A late 1700s tale of witches, hobgoblins and the devil having a party when a human intruder, Tam, unwisely views it, then has to run for his life on his faithful horse... with the angry witches close behind.
Somewhat ironic when these east coast communities, with strong sea links to major European ports caught the witch trails bug/ hysteria even more than the west coast. Dozens tortured, hanged or burned along the sunshine coast back in the day usually taken to Edinburgh, the capital, for final punishment.
A witch grabbing the horse by the tail as it clatters across the bridge ( old running water myth.)
This Prestonpans walkway can be exciting at high tide.
I've walked it in strong winds. An old photo...
I've walked across it at high tide. Tricky and wet... but still worth it.
But this time it was OK. No wind. Just enough sand left to make it across. ( You can walk along the main street easily enough but where's the fun in that?)
John Muir. USA conservation pioneer but born and raised in Dunbar in Scotland by a very strict religious family. Once in North America however the vast wilderness there was always where he found God in his own mind...not just in carefully memorized scripture.
Ornate gate decoration. Back view. Prestonpans Park.
Town info board.
After Prestonpans the route becomes more open and wilder. A nature reserve... but I'll keep that for part two...
