Dunbar is one of the finest and most underrated towns on the Scottish coast — a beautiful, historic harbour town on the East Lothian coast, 28 miles east of Edinburgh, birthplace of the great conservationist John Muir and surrounded by some of the finest golf courses, beaches and coastal scenery in Scotland. With outstanding schools, a direct train to London in just over 2 hours, and house prices averaging £248,000, Dunbar offers an exceptional quality of life that is increasingly attracting families and commuters from Edinburgh.
The town is most famous as the birthplace of John Muir (1838–1914) — the Scottish-American naturalist and conservationist who founded the US National Parks system and is considered the 'father of national parks'. The John Muir Birthplace museum in the town centre tells his remarkable story. The John Muir Country Park — a spectacular stretch of coastline immediately west of the town — is one of the finest coastal nature reserves in Scotland, with sand dunes, saltmarsh, ancient woodland and the dramatic cliffs of Dunbar Castle.
Dunbar's Victoria Harbour — a beautiful Victorian fishing harbour with red sandstone quays and colourful boats — is the heart of the town. The surrounding East Lothian coast has some of the best beaches in Scotland — Belhaven Bay, Tyninghame and the vast sands of Yellowcraig are all within easy reach. Muirfield, one of the world's most famous golf courses, is just 8 miles west.
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Who is Dunbar Good For?
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VisitBritain- John Muir Country ParkA spectacular coastal nature reserve named after Dunbar's most famous son — sand dunes, saltmarsh, ancient woodland and dramatic clifftop walking along one of Scotland's finest stretches of coast.
- John Muir Birthplace MuseumThe birthplace and childhood home of John Muir, father of the US National Parks system — a fascinating and moving museum telling the story of how a Dunbar boy changed the way the world thinks about wild places.
- Victoria HarbourDunbar's beautiful Victorian harbour with red sandstone quays, colourful fishing boats and the dramatic ruins of Dunbar Castle on the headland — one of the finest harbour scenes on the east coast of Scotland.
- East Lothian GolfEast Lothian is Scotland's golf coast — Muirfield (one of the world's great links courses), North Berwick, Gullane and Dunbar's own links course give this small area more top-quality golf than almost anywhere in Britain.
- Belhaven Bay & East Lothian BeachesThe East Lothian coast has some of Scotland's finest beaches — Belhaven Bay, Tyninghame and Yellowcraig are vast, clean and often empty. Belhaven Bay's sand dunes are outstanding.
- Direct Train to LondonDunbar has its own station on the East Coast Main Line — London King's Cross in just over 2 hours 20 minutes. An exceptional combination of small Scottish coastal town living with superb rail connectivity.
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