return to Eyebroughy

Eyebroughy, 7 July

This has been one of our favourite walks for the last few years, and on this bright Sunday evening back in early July, it was also a new walk for us with Raf. Another first together.

This walk is rich in memories. We can look back to February 24 this year and our last walk here with Bracken; a day of shifting light and a gorgeously moody sky. We paused for photos in a few spots, Bracken’s look ranging from mildly judgemental to quietly murderous as he gazed into the lens. On that day, as we left Eyebroughy beach and headed back along the edge of the golf course above, Bracken was cantering across the pristine grass (he always loved the springy grass of a golf course) and we said: look at him… he’s still strong, he can still do this. We knew that Bracken was ill at this point, but we were still carrying hope and considering treatment options, and that roughly 7km walk encouraged us forwards.

And we can look back to walks over the last few years, before Eyebroughy beach was stripped of its sand by Storm Babet in late October 2023. This walk always felt like an adventure together. Harris and Bracken loved the variety of the route, which starts at Yellowcraig, heading west to the sweeping beach that’s just beyond (with the big houses of King’s Cairn above it) and on along the winding paths to the small wooded section that always gets muddy in winter, and then to the stretch of rocky shore at Eyebroughy, followed by the sandy beach.

A wooden walkway was constructed to access this rocky shore a few years back (a vast improvement on the length of rope that was there before to help you descend/ascend the rocks - and no, before you ask, it was impossible to do this with a dachshund tucked below one arm!) and we’d carry the lads down this ramp. As soon as his paws hit the shore, Bracken would be off, running across the seaweed-strewn rocks, intent on finding a rock pool or two to plough through and aiming for a shortcut to the beach, with me following him because there wasn’t a shortcut that was in any way dachshund friendly. Anyone looking on would have seen this small yet hefty hound careening across the rocks towards the sea, looking as happy as a clam, with me following, trying not to slip, hollering at him to stop, and with Harris following me.

Memories. Good memories.

So here we were on this sunshiny Sunday, with Raf. The first stretch of this route, along the shoreline at Yellowcraig, is usually lined with campers during these summer months, and Raf was (and still is) so reactive to people that navigating a line of campers was a step too far. But on this day we’d clearly made a judgement call - those tents must have been just far enough away - and decided on this walk.

If you follow me on Instagram you’ll know that I’m more than a little obsessed with the island of Fidra and its lighthouse. I started the hashtag #TheFidraSeries to collect these posts together, in case anyone else wants to share in this obsession, and I’ll reflect on this more in another post here. But I say this now to explain why so many of these photos feature Fidra. I couldn’t resist this view, in this light, with this clear and calm water.

There are also some fine rock formations here, which, of course, meant a few photos of Raf on rocks.

Eyebroughy beach is named for the island you can see in the photo below and again further down this post. When you’re here at high tide, it’s impossible to imagine walking out to this narrow strip of rock, and yet at a very low tide you can almost reach the island - not that we’d want to access it as this spot is home to sea birds, but you gain a different perspective of this shoreline when you’re just metres away from the island. We’ve only seen this a few times, and if you’re planning to walk further, in the direction of Gullane, rather than taking the route along the dunes beyond Eyebroughy, you can simply continue along the shore as an immense stretch of beach is revealed at a very low tide.

We’ve often settled here, at the cairn that stands above Eyebroughy beach, which was built in 2018 (there’s a post from Loving East Lothian on Facebook with details of this structure). It’s a good spot to perch and enjoy this view, and the lads were always very enthusiastic when reaching this spot as they’d often have a chew here.

As for Raf - well, this whole experience was new to him and he was alert and engaged with every step. Richard commented the other day on how Raf has settled into the rhythm of our walks now - a rhythm that he was still learning back in early July. He understands now that there’ll be on lead time, but mostly off lead time, and that I’ll hang back at points to take photos and videos, and not to get stressed by this. It’s just our normal pattern of things, but I’m aware that this must feel very different to Raf’s previous life when walking with his hound family. Learning new things solo won’t be easy, I know.

One of the features that strikes me from these photos, knowing this spot well, is the lack of sand. This was a gorgeous sandy beach before Storm Babet stripped its golden shore, revealing a sea of pebbles and rocks below and changing the character of this place. The sand will return in time, and Raf will have the chance to run along this beach at low tide, but, until then, we’ll appreciate this more rugged shoreline.

We walked back as the sun was setting, casting her golden glow across the rocks and illuminating Fidra’s lighthouse in the distance. Back up the wooden ramp to the winding path above, and returning to a rocky outcrop that we always used to pause at. I call it Harris’s Rock as we’ve taken so many photos here over the years, with Fidra in the background. I walked up onto this rock to take the first photo below, and this rainbow appeared, curving down to land somewhere around the shore at Yellowcraig where I took those first photos above. I stood here, absorbing this moment; standing on Harris’s Rock, looking across to this colourful beam of light spilling from the heavens onto the shore.

Walks can feel special for all sorts of reasons: the weather, the light, the calm, the wind, the views… all the reasons you’d expect. But sometimes it’s about moments of connection that you can’t quite explain, that make no sense to write, but that you feel. And this was one of those walks; a walk of shifting light and rich textures and beautiful calm, and this inexplicable yet palpable feeling of connection.

Eyebroughy, East Lothian, 7 July 2024.

#eyebroughy #fidra #eastlothian #scotland