John Muir Country Park
Encyclopedia
Dunbar
Dunbar is a town in East Lothian on the southeast coast of Scotland, approximately 28 miles east of Edinburgh and 28 miles from the English Border at Berwick-upon-Tweed....
in East Lothian
East Lothian
East Lothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy Area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Midlothian. Its administrative centre is Haddington, although its largest town is Musselburgh....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It is named after John Muir
John Muir
John Muir was a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, and early advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United States. His letters, essays, and books telling of his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, have been read by millions...
, a famous naturalist and geologist who was born in Dunbar and later emigrated to the USA where he developed his ideas.
The park was designated in 1976 and covers 7.73 square kilometres, stretching from Belhaven (just outside Dunbar) to Tyninghame. The park is home to a diverse collection of animal life, including several species of butterfly and moth and over 400 species of plants. The park is also a bird watchers paradise, with (depending on the season) kittiwake, eider duck, shelduck, skylark, meadow pipit, ringed plover, gannet, terns, sand martins, crossbill, wigeon, bar-tailed godwit and whooper swan to be seen.
Dunbar Castle
Dunbar Castle
Dunbar Castle is the remnants of one of the most mighty fortresses in Scotland, situated over the harbour of the town of Dunbar, in East Lothian.-Early history:...
are also within the park. Dunbar Castle was once one of the most important strategic buildings in Scotland and was the subject of many battles as Picts, Angles and others battled for control of the castle and surrounding area. Long after the advent of peace between England & Scotland, the remains of the castle were in the news again in 1842 when electrically fired demolition charges saw their first practical use - blasting a channel through the rock to serve as the entrance for the new Victoria Harbour. The castle has been allowed to disintegrate under the impact of wave and weather since 1567; major losses were sustained in 1868 and 1993 (collapses of walls) but minor losses occur yearly. The remains are currently off-limit.
External links
- John Muir's Legacy, The Scotsman
- John Muir Country Park from East Lothian Council
- Dunbar Castle on Undiscovered Scotland