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About Dunbar Harbour

Dunbar Harbour

Situated at the mouth of the Firth of Forth Dunbar is one of East Lothian's most beautiful & popular seaside towns, it is known nationally & internationally as the birthplace of John Muir, renowned naturalist & conservationist.

Dunbar is located 30 miles east of Edinburgh and approximately 30 miles north of Berwick upon Tweed with good bus and train links both north to the Capital and South to Newcastle and beyond.

Dunbar features historic buildings, spectacular landscapes and rugged coastlines and around the harbours are attractive former warehouses and granaries.

A town of three harbours, Dunbar was once a major herring and whaling port.Its old harbour dates from the 17th century. Dunbar Harbour is a busy working harbour with a commercial fleet landing mainly shellfish. The harbour is also home to one of the largest lifeboat stations in the area and there is a thriving Sailing Club and a Coastal Rowing Club as well as attracting many diving clubs to enjoy the seas around Dunbar.

Facilities

Meeting rooms

Dunbar Harbour Trust have a meeting room available at McArthur’s Store, the fishermen's store building at Cromwell Harbour.

Pleasure Yachts

Pleasure yachts are welcome to visit the harbour. Read our instructions how to enter the harbour.

Water and Fuel

We have water points and power sockets available for visiting boats. There is a slipway for launching.
Fuel can be provided by can or direct into boats.

ALB In Attendance for Helicopter Rescue 28/6/17

Dunbar’s lifeboat crew joined the rescue response after five people were cut off by the tide at Pease Bay on Wednesday. The alarm was raised just after 6pm when two adults and three children were spotted in trouble on rocks to the north east of the holiday park. Dunbar’s all weather lifeboat (ALB) was launched and on scene at 6.30pm. By then one of the adults and the three children had made their own way to safety up the rocks. One man however was still stranded in rising sea water. The Coastguard Search and Rescue helicopter arrived at 7pm and quickly winched the man to safety.

Civic week at Dunbar Battery

Dunbar Battery was the setting for many sunny, if windy, events during a busy Civic Week. A variety of performers put on one play and many concerts during the week and Civic Queen Connie presided over the closing service which brought Civic Week to an end in a packed amphitheatre.

The new Dunbar Battery

The Dunbar Battery project is an exiting initiative from the Dunbar Harbour Trust to bring the Battery on Lamer Island back to a new life.

There is now better access to the site, improved interpretation and East Lothian's only external Amphitheatre for open-air performance. Donald Urquhart, one of Scotland's leading artists, has produced the Sea Cubes to enhance the visitor's experience. East Lothian's Gardner Molloy engraved the history story line to show how Dunbar Battery has evolved through the centuries.

More information is available on dunbarbattery.org.uk

Water Sports

Kayaking

Kayaking on the sea is gaining in popularity and the beaches and reefs in East Lothian provide excellent conditions. Sea kayaking can give you a wonderful sense of exploration and adventure

Paddle Boarding

Stand Up Paddling feels as though you are gliding, or “the closest thing to walking on water”. Literally standing upright and on the top of the SUP board, the gentle activity allows a small group to move quietly across the water.

Diving

Diving off Scotland's South East coast has been described as world class with a huge variety of ship wrecks and underwater cliff dives in and around the Forth, Bass Rock and the Isle of May!

Sailing

Both local and visiting yachtsmen alike can be assured of a warm welcome from members of the friendly and informal Dunbar Sailing Club. The scenic harbour of Dunbar is popular with visiting yachts from far afield and close to home. .

Coastal Rowing

Dunbar Coastal Rowing Club was established in 2010, to offer traditional rowing skills to the Dunbar and surrounding communities. The club currently has two St Ayles skiffs, The Volunteer and Black Agnes, which were built by club members.

Surfing

Dunbar plays host to some of the best surfable waves in the area, with local surfers having surfed wave faces as big as 12ft. Local surf lessons take place at Belhaven bay, the closest consistently surfed beach to Edinburgh and Glasgow.