Gullane

If golf is your game then Gullane is the place to be! Golf courses line the road as you approach the town from either side. With four golf clubs - including Muirfield, which last hosted the Open in 2013, and Gullane Golf Club, host of the Scottish Open in 2015, as well as a course specifically for children – Gullane is easily a golfer’s paradise.

A beautiful sandy beach borders a stretch of natural grassland – the local name for this type of habitat is ‘bents’. It supports a wealth of coastal plants such as sea buckthorn. Sea buckthorn, a popular ingredient in cookery, is nicknamed the ‘baked bean plant’ because of its tightly packed orange berries!

In 1612 blown sands buried the parish church and threatened the town and many people moved to nearby Dirleton. The marram grass from the bents had been used to thatch the buildings which eroded the sand dunes. Luckily today the grassland habitat is managed and visitors are encouraged to enjoy this beautiful area of coastline responsibly.

Gullane has a good mix of shops, cafes and eateries and makes a great location to base a holiday.