Home Report Dunbar

Dunbar, East Lothian, is a bustling and historic royal burgh and harbour town with a rich past that goes back to the American Revolutionary Wars, the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, the Wars of Scottish Independence, and further still. The town lies on the North Sea coast, approximately 30 miles east of Edinburgh and 30 miles from the English border north of Berwick-upon-Tweed. The more recent history and development of the town revolved around its focus a port town and fishing industries, however, bypassed now by the A1 trunk road has made it an attractive commuter settlement and also became more tourist oriented. Due to its geographical location, Dunbar receives less rain and more hours of direct sunshine per year than most places in Scotland which further adds to the town’s appeal for locals and visitors.

Dunbar today as mentioned is an attractive commuter town for people mainly working in Edinburgh, Haddington, and other settlements in East Lothian. This is helped by its good transport links. The A1 trunk road connects residents directly to Edinburgh by car, and there are also direct train routes to Edinburgh Waverly from Dunbar train station taking roughly 30 minutes.

As for amenities and things to do, there’s not only an abundance to do in Dunbar, but plenty to see also. Dunbar has two promenades, forming part of the John Muir Way. These provide an ideal viewpoint to see Dunbar’s geological features including volcanic deposits and dykes seen from a high vantage point on the western clifftop promenade which passes the town’s Public and Winterfield parks. There are two local beaches, the smaller East Beach next to the town featuring rock pools and the expansive Belhaven Beach on the outskirts. Lochend Woods are a fantastic community resource owned and managed by the Dunbar Community Woodland Group.

The vibrant and historic town centre has a large number of independent, locally owned retail businesses. Amongst the gift shops, salons, and cafes there are a community owned bakery and grocer, a butchers and fishmonger, traditional sweet shop, chocolatiere, florists, pet shop, and a hardware store. The town also has a zero-waste shop as well as several vintage and antique stores and two charity shops. There are two popular RNLI stores reflecting the town’s important maritime connection. The High Street also features a great number of historic closes, two museums, and the “Backlands” garden and is a short walk to the scenic harbour area with its summertime food outlets.

Dunbar has many hotels, B&Bs, a hostel, and campsites as well as short term lets catering to the annual influx of visitors coming to see the town and enjoy its surroundings. Popular activities include surfing, wakeboarding, coasteering, kite surfing, paddleboarding as well as boat and fishing tours. Tourists are also attracted by the walking and cycling routes in the area with other long-distance routes, the John Muir Way and Coast & Castles routes, also very popular.

With all this it’s easy to see why the small town is enjoyed so much by locals and visitors alike.

In terms of local schooling, the town is served by two primary schools, West Barns Primary School and Dunbar Primary School, and a non-denominational state secondary school, Dunbar Grammar School. Dunbar Grammar School also serves a wide catchment area which includes the surrounding areas and villages of East Linton, Stenton, and Oldhamstocks. The school currently has a roll of 1,006 pupils. There is also a private school, Belhaven Hill School for 7–13-year-olds.