Keep Close to Nature’s Heart: Completing the John Muir Way

June 21, 2022

When we added the 134-mile John Muir Way to our Trekking the British Isles hiking itinerary, our hope was to gain a greater appreciation for Scotland’s natural beauty and cultural significance while trekking coast-to-coast. And during the first four days and 65.9 miles of our hike we were satisfied with our choice. We had already walked along a loch, climbed through wild exposed hills, visited ancient Roman forts and turf walls, and experienced a modern marvel moving boats from one canal to another.

We still had six more stages to go before reaching the end of our trek. Many of our remaining miles would be through the “nature’s heart” of Scotland’s Firth of Forth estuary coastline as we hiked to the North Sea.

Walking on a Canal Towpath, over an Aqueduct, and reaching the Estuary

Keep close to nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. — John Muir

On Day 5 of our trek we started out on a 12.8-mile stage. As we left the city of Falkirk, where we spent the night, we hiked through a beautiful park.

The centerpiece of the park was the imposing Callendar House. First built in the 14th century, the present Callendar House dates from 1877. The house also sits on the line of the ancient Roman Antonine Wall.

After leaving the park, the path joined the Union Canal. We had seen the canal at the top of the Falkirk Wheel on the previous day. The Union Canal first opened in 1822, and it seemed much smaller and wilder than the Forth and Clyde Canal that we had hiked along during our previous stages.

The Union Canal was originally built to follow a consistent height of 240 feet above sea level throughout its 32-mile length. Therefore, it had no locks. As we walked, we saw that some of the bridges were labeled with numbers, counting down eastward toward the canal’s end in Edinburgh.

Bridges 50 and 49 on the Union Canal

To maintain the consistent water height, several aqueducts were built along the canal. A short time later we reached the Avon Aqueduct. At 810 feet long and 86-feet high, it is Scotland’s longest and tallest aqueduct.

We hiked along the top of the structure, with the Union Canal at our side. Not a fan of heights, I kept my gaze straight ahead as we hiked across.

The John Muir Way turned off the Union Canal at the end of the aqueduct. Wanting to get a picture of the Avon Aqueduct from its base, Darren ran down an adjoining trail to snap a photo while I waited with his pack.

The path took us north, and at the end of the stage we arrived at the Firth of Forth. It was an exciting milestone for us, as we would be hiking along this estuary for most of our remaining stages, until the John Muir Way met the North Sea.

We spent the night in the town of Borrowstounness, or Bo’ness for short. With a local history of coal mining and salt making, Bo’ness also was the location of the eastern terminus of the Antonine Wall.

A Short Stage to the Three Forth Bridges

One touch of nature makes the whole world kin. — John Muir

After joining the Firth of Forth at the end of the previous day, we walked beside it for most of our Day 6 stage. About two miles into our 10.2-mile hike, we began to see three bridges in the distance. The (two car and one rail) Forth bridges connect the towns of North and South Queensferry. We had B&B reservations in South Queensferry for the night, and spent the entire day getting ever so closer to the bridges (and our destination) as we walked.

Occasionally the path would climb up into forest above the coast. Each time we entered a wooded area, we were greeted by a chorus of birds chirping around us. Even on the longest hiking days, we never grew tired of hearing them.

With every mile completed, we could see the three bridges in more detail.

The shorter stages and flatter terrain enabled us to cover our miles quickly. That gave us the luxury of stopping for leisurely meals in the middle of Day 5 and Day 6. On Day 5 we ate a late breakfast of French Toast at a cafe on the Union Canal and on Day 6 we stopped for a traditional steak and ale pie at a pub in the small village of Blackness.

Enjoying a breakfast of French Toast on Day 5 (with a photobombing swan in the background); Eating steak and ale pie with chips and peas for lunch on Day 6

Soon after finishing our steak and ale pie lunch, we passed by the Blackness Castle, a 15th-century fortress.

The trail left the coast and entered the Hopetoun House estate. We enjoyed the walk through the grounds of the 6,500 acre estate, with many flowers blooming and birds chirping around us.

When we turned a corner to arrive at the Hopetoun House, we were astounded by the size and grandeur of the building. The house was first built for the Hope family in the late 1600’s. A wing of it is still occupied by the present Lord Hopetoun and his family.

The path turned back to reach the Firth of Forth again, and our stage ended in the shadow of the bridges in South Queensferry.

Reaching a Rest Day in Edinburgh

This grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never all dried at once; a shower is forever falling; vapor ever rising. Eternal sunrise, eternal sunset, eternal dawn and gloaming, on seas and continents and islands, each in its turn, as the round earth rolls. — John Muir

Since the John Muir Way passed right through Edinburgh, we timed a rest day back in the city we had visited two weeks prior. Between us and our rest day was a 14.8-mile stage. As we left South Queensferry, we passed underneath the Forth Rail Bridge, the easternmost of the three bridges over the Firth of Forth. When it was opened in 1890, the Forth Rail Bridge was the longest single cantilever bridge span in the world at the time. In 2015 it was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We couldn’t take our eyes off of the bridge as we hiked past it. So we stopped to snap several photos of it in the early morning light.

After finally leaving the bridge behind, we continued to walk along the Firth of Forth.

We passed by the 13th century Barnbougle Castle in the distance.

Since the tide was low, we could walk along the beach for a time. We saw many birds scurrying around the mud flats created by the absence of water.

Arriving in the outskirts of Edinburgh, the path turned away from the coast. Before entering the city we needed to complete one steep climb, so we began our ascent up Corstorphine Hill. A tower at the top of the hill was built in 1871 as a memorial to Sir Walter Scott.

From Corstorphine Hill we had a nice view of the city skyline and Arthur’s Seat, the main peak of the seven Edinburgh hills.

While admiring the view, I turned around and was surprised to discover two zebras in a fence right behind us. We happened to be standing at the edge of the Edinburgh Zoo and its zebra exhibit.

The trail took us down the hill and through a series of public parks before joining the Water of Leith Walkway. Getting closer to the end of the stage and our rest day, we hiked on the walkway for about a mile before we came back to a familiar trail – the towpath along the Union Canal that we had left on Day 5 at the Avon Aqueduct.

Just before the canal’s end we turned off and walked a block to our Airbnb, where we enjoyed a quiet rest day.

Trekking along Murals, Golf Courses, and Coastline

I only went out for a walk, and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in. — John Muir

After our rest day in Edinburgh, we were re-energized for a long 18.3-mile stage on Day 8. There was morning rain in the forecast, so we left with our rain gear on and our packs covered.

Even though we were in the heart of the city, the trail minimized walking on busy streets. We again weaved through public parks before joining a path along the old Innocent Railway. It was Edinburgh’s first railway line, opening in 1831 and using horse-drawn trams. It switched to steam train operation in 1845 and was closed in 1963. 

We followed the path back to the Firth of Forth coast. After about 11 miles of hiking, we came to the small mining town of Prestonpans. We observed many town murals, depicting the area’s history, as we walked down the main city street.

Two of the murals in Prestonpans

One mural featured John Muir holding a pint of local beer. There was a bench next to the mural, and we admired the art as we took our lunch break.

It had rained steadily all morning, but the forecast looked better for the afternoon, so we took off our rain clothes before hiking again. As we emerged back on the Firth of Forth coast, we were treated to great beach scenery, blooming flowers, and some occasional forest.

The nice scenery made the rest of the afternoon go by quickly. However, with about 1.5 miles to go in the stage, I tripped and fell on some uneven grass and dirt. We don’t fall very often; the last time was a year ago on the Pacific Crest Trail when Darren took a sudden spill on a steep trail, shaking himself up a bit. I chalked my fall up to walking too fast at the end of such a long stage. Except for an ankle that was a little tender for about 24 hours, I was fine.

Our penultimate stage the next day was 16 miles. In addition to hiking along the Firth of Forth coast, we were treated to villages that reminded us of our recent Cotswold Way trek.

We continued to have great views from the coast as we walked.

Scotland is known for creating the modern game of golf, and we were now hiking along its “Golf Coast,” where 21 golf courses are located on 30 miles of coastline. The trail passed by several of the courses. And a couple of times we were actually on the course itself. This meant that we needed to speak quietly as we walked. At one point we came to a tee and needed to wait for the golfers to hit their balls before we continued hiking past them.

About nine miles into our stage we came to the town of North Berwick, where we took a lunch break.

From there, the path turned south, away from the coast, and traversed through farmland to the village of East Linton, where we spent the night.

A Farm and Coast Finale

Around my native town of Dunbar, I loved to wander the fields to hear the birds sing, and along the seashore to gaze and wonder at the shells and seaweeds, eels and crabs… — John Muir

Our final day of hiking was an easy 7.6-mile stage. We needed to make our way back to the coastline once more, and the path from East Linton started out northeast through several fields.

Before the John Muir Way was designated as a coast-to-coast route in 2014, a shorter version of the trail existed on the path we were now hiking. We knew we had reached that section when the trail signage changed from purple and white indicators to green ones.

This original trail consisted of dirt paths, which was welcomed. However, the signage was not great.

Somehow, we missed a turn and ended up in the middle of a barley field with no easy way to get back on course. It took us a few minutes of trailblazing and eventually having to climb up a steep dirt slope to a road. Then, we were back on track again.

Soon after, we reached the coastline for the last time. There was a bench next to the trail, so we sat down for our final break and took in the peaceful scene before us. We heard only the sounds of the birds and some light lapping of the waves as the tide was moving in.

As we got closer to Dunbar, the coastal views just got better and better.

Right before reaching Dunbar, the path climbed up to a plateau above the water.

We turned off the plateau, negotiated up and down some stairs, and walked through a tunnel to arrive at the city’s edge.

The trek ended at John Muir’s birthplace, where he was born in 1838. It is now a museum. We were congratulated inside by the staff and presented with a finisher’s certificate.

Receiving our finisher’s certificate and getting a photo taken in front of John Muir’s Birthplace

Across the street from the birthplace was a statue of the boyhood John Muir. We took a celebratory photo there.

Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt. — John Muir

Reflecting on our 10-day trek, it was still hard to process all that we had experienced. The trail was well-designed to route us to many historical sites, stately manors, castles, canals, and modern marvels, like the Falkirk Wheel. We also appreciated the natural beauty of Scotland that we saw, as we hiked through open hillsides, beside lochs, and along miles of scenic coastline.

As with any long trek, not all of the path was scenic. We walked mainly on pavement, as the trail route used many bike paths. There was some busy road walking and hiking through industrial areas. And (ironically, given John Muir’s conservation focus), we walked through a couple of sections where active logging was taking place. The lack of beauty in those areas didn’t bother us too much, but it could deter others from trekking the trail.

Overall, we loved our time on the John Muir Way, knowing that we were going to experience something different each day. The relatively flat trail made the stages enjoyable, even when we had long distances to cover. And the cultural and natural experience of walking coast-to-coast across Scotland is one that we will not soon forget.

With the completion of this trek, we have now hiked 327 miles. We will take some rest days in the towns of Dunbar and Dunkeld before traveling to Aviemore and the start of our second Scottish trek: the 74-mile Speyside Way.