The Wild Days guide
Broad Sands is the beach at Yellowcraig: a long sweep of pale sand between Dirleton and North Berwick, with the island of Fidra and its lighthouse sitting just offshore. Woods and dunes behind, a big car park and a pirate-themed play park make it one of the easiest family days on the East Lothian coast.
Why it’s worth the trip
The view is the thing. Fidra is close enough to pick out the lighthouse and the seabirds wheeling round it, and on a clear day the Bass Rock shows white with gannets further east. The beach is wide and shallow, good for long walks, sandcastles and paddling, and the John Muir Way runs past the top of it on its way to North Berwick.
Facilities are good for a wild-feeling place: toilets with showers, picnic benches, a barbecue area and an adventure play park themed on Treasure Island, plus a surfaced track and ramp that let wheelchair users reach a viewpoint over the sand.
Make a wild day of it
Fidra and Treasure Island
Fidra’s lighthouse was built in 1885 by the Stevenson lighthouse engineers, Robert Louis Stevenson’s family, and he is known to have visited while it was going up. The island is often said to have inspired Treasure Island (Unst in Shetland makes the same claim). Today it is an RSPB reserve. Puffins nest there in good numbers again since volunteers cleared the tree mallow that had smothered their burrows. Bring binoculars: you cannot land, and there is no way across the reefs.
Along the John Muir Way
East from Yellowcraig the path skirts the plantation and the West Links into North Berwick, about 4.5 km. Carry on past the harbour and Milsey Bay to Canty Bay and Tantallon Castle, a cliff-top fortress with a massive 14th-century curtain wall (Historic Environment Scotland; tickets, check opening times).
North Berwick, the Seabird Centre and the Bass Rock
The Scottish Seabird Centre at North Berwick harbour has live cameras on the islands, a cafe and boat trips out to the Bass Rock. The Bass holds the world’s largest colony of northern gannets. Numbers fell sharply after bird flu hit in 2022, but in summer it is still an extraordinary sight from a boat.
Dunes and woods
Orchids flower in the dune grassland in summer, fungi come up in autumn, and the woods are a sheltered option when the wind gets up. Climb the steps to the viewpoint in the plantation for the panorama along the coast.
Tides and safety
The beach shelves gently, and at low tide the sand and reefs run a long way out towards Fidra. The tide comes back across the flats quickly, so keep an eye on it if you wander out, and do not try to reach the island on the rocks. The reefs are slippery with weed.
Yellowcraig is a designated bathing water, classified Sufficient for 2026, the lowest passing grade. Give it a day or two after heavy rain, swim with someone, and keep away from the rocks. There are no lifeguards. In an emergency call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.
When to go
Spring to midsummer for puffins on Fidra and orchids in the dunes; autumn and winter for empty sand and big skies. On sunny summer weekends the car park fills, so come early or walk west along the beach towards the rocks, where it is always quieter.
Good to know
- Parking: council car park, £3 a day by machine or RingGo, and the same ticket works at every East Lothian coastal car park that day. Blue Badge holders free. No parking 11pm to 4am, except in the three motorhome bays (£10 a night).
- Toilets: toilet block with showers at the car park.
- Food: nothing at the beach. Dirleton, 2 km away, has an ice cream and coffee shop and a pub; North Berwick has plenty.
- Buses and trains: buses 124 and X5 stop in Dirleton; North Berwick station is 4.5 km along the coast path.
- Dogs: no seasonal ban found; there is a dog walk with bins away from the beach. Keep dogs away from birds on the shore.
- Camping: the Caravan and Motorhome Club site is next to the car park.
- Access: Scotland’s right of responsible access applies; follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.
