Tours of Scotland, Lothian

Castles and great houses, old fishing ports and lovely villages, sandy beaches and a string of golf courses punctuate the coastline bordering Lothian and Borders. This fertile corner of Scotland is rich in agricultural land, with cultivated acres running up the slopes of the gentle, green Lammermuir Hills where sheep graze and skylarks soar.

Abbey St Bathans
Village in secluded valley of Whiteadder Water, with remains of 12th-century Cistercian priory built into parish church. Craft centre and gallery. Riverside and woodland walks; salmon fishing, trout farm and deer. Traces of hill-forts, huts and a Pictish broch.

Aberlady
Neatly restored 17th to 19th-century rubblestone houses line main street. Parish church has 15th-century square tower and pyramidal spire: on pavement outside is a 'loupin-on-stane' mounting stone used by farmers' wives to get on horses. Main road leads to Aberlady Bay, expanse of salt marsh, dunes and creeks.

Ayton Castle
This flamboyant house of red sandstone, in Scottish Baronial style, was built 1846 for governor of Bank of Scotland by James Gillespie Graham. In churchyard are ruins of a pre-Reformation kirk.

Barns Ness
Wildlife preserve, geology trail and limekilns along 21/2 miles of coastline where limestone is quarried for local cement works.

Berwick-upon-Tweed
England's northernmost town, with elegant Georgian streets and square dominated by spire of 18th-century town hail. Two mile walk leads round top of Elizabethan walls encircling town. Georgian barracks contain exhibition of British infantry's history. Three bridges span River Tweed: 15-arch Jacobean stone bridge, Robert Stephenson's 1847 railway bridge and A1 road bridge of 1928.

Coldingham
Remains of priory restored 11)98 on site of earlier building. Splendid arch rises among scattered gravestones and masonry. Priory choir embodied in parish church.

Cove
Aptly named village with Cornish flavour. Steep track carved out of rock leads down cliffs to harbour where fishing boats shelter.

Dirleton
Cottages and houses from 17th, 18th and 19th centuries and 12th-century church line three sides of wide green. On fourth side are ruins of 13th-century castle built on outcrop of rock with drum towers, kitchen, chapel and ruins of Great Hall. Gardens with 17th-century bowling green.

Drem
The Chesters Iron Age fort with multiple ramparts and ditches. Situated unusually in low-lying land beneath a steep scarp.

Dunbar
Red-sandstone tower and scattered ruins of 11th-century castle overlook fishing harbour with cobbled quays, restored ware-houses and coastguard station. Mary, Queen of Scots was brought to the castle in 1567 by Earl Bothwell. Lauderdale House, part-extended by Robert Adam, at end of High Street, while at No 126 is a museum dedicated to the conservationist John Muir, who was born there in 1838.

Duns
Narrow streets straggle below Dons Law, 700ft. Statue to philosopher John Dons Scotus. born here about 1265. Jim Clark Memorial Room contains trophies of racing driver born at Dons who was twice world champion and died in 1968 racing accident.

Earn's Heugh
Iron Age hill-forts on cliff near St Abb's Head. Banks, ditches and foundations of circular huts.

East Fortune
Museum of Flight on airfield houses Vulcan bomber, 1930 Dc Havilland Puss Moth and Piper Comanche flown by Sheila Scott, holder of 94 world records in 1970s. Photographs of airship t{34 which made first double crossing of Atlantic from here in 1919.

Edin's Hall
Substantial remains of Iron Age tower or broch built within ram-parts of earlier fort on shoulder of Cockburn Law.

Eyemouth
Cobbled streets, alleys and busy fishing harbour. Georgian Gunsgreen House has secret passages once used by smugglers. Museum relates history of East Coast fishing; tapestry records 23 boats and 129 men lost in 1881 gale.

Garvald
Tucked away in valley beside Papana Water. On church wall are jougs, iron collars used on miscreants. Above village is Nunraw, 16th-century tower house built into 19th-century mansion.

Gifford
Laid out by the 2nd Marquis of Tweeddale early in 18th century: 1708 church in wide main street. Avenue of limes to Yester House, built 1745 by Robert Adam.

Gullane
Resort with three golf links, including Muirfield course. Exhibition shows game's development since 15th century.

Haddington
Gracious town of wide streets, dating from 11OOs. Town House of 1748; 15th-century church. I tome of reformer John Knox. Carlyle's House, named after Thomas Carlyle, has fine facade. Restored rooms of Jane Welsh, who became his wife, in house nearby.

Hailes Castle
13th-century ruins above River Tyne include tower, dungeons and chapel.

Innerwick
Village with 15OOs farm buildings, Georgian manse, 1700s Gothic church. Ruins of castle destroyed during English invasion 1547.

John Muir Country Park
Expanse of coastal countryside, including 8 miles of sand and salt marsh, named after Dunbar-born conservationist who was father of U.S. National Parks movement.

John Wood Collection
Remarkable photographs from Victorian and Edwardian days on display in garage at Coldingham. Taken by John Wood, whose glass-plate negatives were discovered in 1983, 69 years after his death, restored and printed.

Lammermuir Hills
Softly contoured heather and gorse-clad hills run east to west across Lothian. Road climbs through beech woods, past Iron Age hill-fort of White Castle, into rounded summits and deep valleys. Whiteadder reservoir lies in bowl of wooded slopes.

Lennoxlove
Mansion set in woodland looking towards the Lammermuir Hills. Named after Frances Stewart, 17th-century Duchess of Lennox, model for Britannia on coinage. Good rooms, one lined with 17th-century damask. Dutch, Italian and English paintings, porcelain and furniture. Duchess's work-box, inlaid with mother-of-pearl, was gift from Charles II. Mansion is now family home of Dukes of Hamilton. Anteroom has death mask of Mary, Queen of Scots.

Longniddry
Mining village for 500 years until 1920s. Golf links and rocky shore. Gosford House, seat of Earl of Wemyss.

Manderston House
Edwardian country house built 1901. Marble staircase with silver handrail, ballroom hung with embossed velvet and curtains embroidered in gold and silver. Louis XVI-style furniture. Stables have arched roof, teak stalls and marble floor. Dairy has fountain designed by Italian and French craftsmen to resemble Roman cloister. Garden is entered through gilded gateway that blazes in setting sun. Rare rhododendrons and azaleas.

North Berwick
Narrow streets lead down to tiny harbour flanked by fine beaches, with ruined 12th-century Auld Kirk by harbour wall, Safe anchorage for yachts and fishing boats, bathing often dangerous. Golf courses surround village below 613ft volcanic pyramid of North Berwick Law, crowned by watchtower from the Napoleonic Wars and arch of whale jawbones. Tough climb to top with impressive views. Boat trips to islands of Fidra and 350ft Bass Rock.

Oldhamstocks
Village of neat cottages on eastern edge of the Lammermuir Hills, overlooking valley of Dunglass Burn. Village green with mercat cross and 18th-century water pump. Parish church.

Pease Bay
Sandy cove with red cliffs at foot of steep Pease Dean: to north-west, Dunglass Burn tumbles through a gorge spanned by three bridges. One is 130ft high, built 1786.

Preston Mill
Restored 1600s water-driven mill with wheel 13ft across. Nearby 16th-century Phantassie Doocot (dovecote) has circular walls with sloping, horseshoe-shaped roof.

St Abb's Head
Spectacular cliff scenery; birds resting on precipitous lava cliffs.