A Journal for the Thrifty Gowfer
While They Golf · East Lothian
Gullane (pronounced 'gillan') is the village immediately east of Aberlady, slightly larger and slightly more polished, and the de facto golfers' base for the central East Lothian coast. Three numbered Gullane courses run up and over Gullane Hill — the highest point on the coast and one of the great Scottish viewpoints — with Muirfield two minutes' walk from the village square. The village itself has a serious lunch culture, two of East Lothian's better restaurants, and a non-golfing day that easily fills six hours. The hill walk is the thing, and it stands on its own as a morning. From the village square it takes 90 minutes at a comfortable pace — uphill past the first tee of Gullane No. 1, out to the summit with its views to Bass Rock, Berwick Law, Fidra, the Pentlands, and the Lomond Hills in Fife on a clear day, then down through Gullane Bents to the beach and back along the sand into the village. Lunch at Greywalls follows naturally: Sir Edwin Lutyens' 1901 Edwardian house overlooking Muirfield, non-residents welcome at Albert's Bar with no pressure to linger longer than you want. Gullane's lunch culture is stronger than North Berwick's — fewer options but more consistent quality — which is a reasonable argument for basing here even if you plan to spend the afternoon eastward at Yellowcraig or Dirleton. The honest caveats: Gullane is expensive, knowingly so, and the parking situation on a busy summer Saturday is a small disaster. The car park on the approach to the village fills by mid-morning on peak weekends; the overflow is ad hoc and the village can feel congested in a way that the surrounding coast never does. The solution is simple — arrive before 9am, do the hill walk first while the village is quiet, and claim a lunch table before the golfers start coming off the back nine. Off-season, from October through April, it is much calmer and arguably better.
Practical note
Drem station is six minutes' drive south. Gullane is almost entirely flat in the village itself but the hill walks rise 200 feet quickly.
The Picks
On the doorstep · 90 min loop · 200ft of climb
From the village square, walk uphill past the 1st tee of Gullane No. 1 to the top of Gullane Hill. The view: Bass Rock, Berwick Law, Fidra, the Pentlands behind Edinburgh, the Lomond hills in Fife on a clear day. The descent through Gullane Bents is a long, easy beach walk back into the village.
5 min walk · Lutyens 1901 house, Jekyll garden
Sir Edwin Lutyens' Edwardian country house overlooks Muirfield from across the road. Non-residents welcome at the bar and for lunch in Albert's Bar (book ahead). Walk the Jekyll garden afterward.
10 min east · long sand beach, Fidra is the inspiration for Treasure Island
Robert Louis Stevenson holidayed in nearby North Berwick and used Fidra (the offshore island visible from the beach) as the model for Treasure Island. Long sand walk; rock pools at low tide; picnic spots in the dunes.
5 min east · NTS · the village green is the photograph
The 13th-century castle ruin on the corner of Dirleton's village green. Tour the castle (90 minutes); have a drink at the Open Arms; walk back via Yellowcraig.
25 min south · pre-book · Lowland malt distillery
The Diageo Lowland flagship in the Tyne valley. 90-minute tour; the 12-year-old is the entry. The drive out via Haddington is pleasant.
15 min east on A198 · HES adult £8 · Apr–Oct
A 14th-century cliff-edge stronghold of the Red Douglas family, with a massive curtain wall on three sides and a sheer drop to the North Sea on the fourth. Bass Rock sits directly offshore. The castle withstood several sieges before finally falling to General Monck's cannon in 1651; the ruin is one of the most dramatically sited in Scotland.
15 min east · Seabird Centre, harbour, Bass Rock boat trips
The seaside town has the Scottish Seabird Centre on the harbour — five live camera feeds into the gannet colony on Bass Rock — and summer boat landings on the rock itself (May–September, book at the Centre). North Berwick Law, the conical hill behind the town, is a 30-minute climb with views across seven counties.
35 min west by car · 25 min by train from Drem station
Drem station is 10 minutes from Gullane by car; hourly ScotRail service reaches Edinburgh Waverley in 25 minutes. The National Museum of Scotland (Chambers Street, free), the Scottish National Gallery (The Mound, free), and Holyrood Park are all within walking distance of the station.
If the weather turns
Greywalls Hotel for lunch
5 min walk · Lutyens 1901 house, Jekyll garden
Dirleton Castle & village
5 min east · NTS · the village green is the photograph
Glenkinchie Distillery
25 min south · pre-book · Lowland malt distillery
Edinburgh city centre
35 min west by car · 25 min by train from Drem station
Distilleries, walks, and transport guides from across our Scotland network.
The closest single malt distillery to Gullane — 25 minutes south via Haddington. Lowland style, Classic Malts pedigree.
On TasteSCOTMade 10 minutes east in North Berwick — a coastal London Dry from a small dedicated gin distillery. The Navy Strength at 57% is the standout bottle. Available in most good East Lothian delis.
On TripSCOTTen minutes east along the coast — the best town on the East Lothian strip for a post-round lunch or afternoon.
On TripSCOTDirect ScotRail service from Edinburgh Waverley — 30 minutes. Ideal for car-free travel to the Gullane strip.
On OutdoorSCOTThe Pentland Hills are 30 minutes west; the East Lothian section of the John Muir Way runs through Gullane Bents along the coast. Serious hill access without a long drive.
Common questions
Other towns
East Lothian
Edinburgh & the Lothians
Angus & Dundee
Perthshire
Stirling
Glasgow & Lanarkshire
Argyll & Bute