Birchbank

Dogfriendly Magazine Review

Read our comprehensive review of this listing printed in our bi-monthly magazine.

Name: Birchbank, Haddington
Reviewer: Richard Aspinall

There is some holiday accommodation that’s all about the interior decor, fittings and furnishings. Some other places-to-stay trade entirely on their proximity to beautiful countryside. Others may rely heavily on their coastal connections, or maybe sell themselves on their large well-appointed bedrooms and extensive kitchens, ideal for entertaining family and friends. 

Rarely do you get the whole caboodle, and even more rarely is it dog friendly. Happily, Birchbank has the lot. Haddington is an easy place to get to: up the A1 and turn left towards Edinburgh would be good advice for folks travelling from the south, for those from the north: get to Edinburgh and head west. It’s a simple set of instructions but look at the map and you’ll find it easily and doing so will put the area in context.  Haddington sits just under a bump on the Firth of Forth, made up of the mighty rocks underlying the land around North Berwick. 

For me, and less so for Henry, if truth be told, I prefer to travel on the quieter A68, but if you really want the scenery, take the B6355 past the Whiteadder Reservoir and through the heart of the Lammermuir Hills. It’s a lovely approach to the Tyne Valley, which runs through Haddington and East Linton, before meeting the sea at Tyninghame, next to the smart wee town of Dunbar.

Birchbank sits atop a low rise looking down onto the old farm buildings and house belonging to Richard and Sharon, the owners. With wildflowers sown into the grassland and large open lawns on two sides the house blends in well with its agricultural landscape.

Inside, a long corridor with a high skylight, runs through the centre of the house, connecting the three king-size bedrooms (one with a splendid ensuite) to the living area, an open plan space with a large sofa and chairs all set around a contemporary wood-burning stove. 

The last few years have seen one or two severe storms in the East Lothian and Borders areas, meaning local logs are plentiful. The kitchen is superbly appointed, beautiful to be in and, so I’m told, a pleasure to cook in. Richard and Sharon have made sure you won’t be wanting for anything. No worn out cafetiere and blunt excuses for knives: everything is new and works. They’ve also taken a great deal of care to ensure recycling is easy for guests, so you don’t have to feel guilty about not knowing what the local recycling rules are.

The best features of the living area are the three sliding patio doors, one of which - a huge structure of three individual panels, slides back to ‘remove’ around half of the wall, straight onto a stone-flagged patio area with outdoor seating and barbecue. Henry in particular loved being able to come and go, though three ways into and out of the same space seemed to confuse him a little at first. Richard and Sharon’s dog was very welcoming and the two became firm friends.

The house doesn’t yet have a secure, fenced-in garden, which for some dog owners will mean you need to stay with them when the doors are open. Henry, being an inquisitive little terrier, was easily led by his snout and took little persuasion to follow his nose around the farm. While he was safe – there are very few working vehicles around – he can be prone to a bit of ‘westitude’ and had to be ushered back home from time to time. He’s not a bad dog, he just wants to be a dog an awful lot, and that can override his more intelligent side.

Walks and cycle rides are easily had from Birchbank with several hedge and tree-lined paths locally. You might even just enjoy walking along the winding network of roads nearabout, though do keep your wits about you, while you might not see a car for ages, it can be busy on occasion when the locals are heading home from work.

Haddington itself is a charming market town on the banks of the Tyne (not the Newcastle one, in case you were wondering). We found two particularly great places to eat. 

First, The Loft Cafe and Bakery which offers a tremendous choice for lunch and also the Waterside Bistro, which is mentioned later on. The Loft fills the upstairs of a former industrial building, tastefully decorated and now light and airy. It is of course dog friendly, and the staff welcomed Henry with  water and a quick fussing. The food on offer covers all needs, with gluten-free and vegan available alongside traditional fare. The home-baked sausage rolls – meat or veggie – are particularly excellent, as are the salads and cakes. It can be a bit busy on a lunchtime though, so I’d recommend brunch. 

We found a nearby EV charger and tucked in. I should add that the electric vehicle chargers in East Lothian were all working, quick to connect and easily operated. 

Haddington offers a scenic riverside walk, along the Tyne. It is signposted, but a small map can be downloaded from the excellent, Visit East Lothian website. Being a bird watcher and general nature fan, I was pleased to find a few water birds along the riverbank. You might want to keep your dog on a lead if it’s a duck-chaser. On quiet days herons will stand in the shallows hoping you don’t see them. Happily, Henry regards all birds with contempt and with anything duck-sized and above, a touch of fear – those beaks do look pointy!

The highlight of the riverside walk is the 16th century Nungate Bridge. The bridge, being the main crossing over the Tyne, was of significant importance for travel to Edinburgh. The fascinating Hidden Haddington website mentions an iron hook on the westernmost arch, on which a hand of one of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s supporters was hung in 1745. It didn’t say what happened to the rest of him.

The lovely architecture of the Nungate Bridge is best admired from the outdoor benches of the adjacent Waterside Bistro. If the weather is Scottish (which it often is) then the warm open fires of the restaurant will beckon. I should add that in all sincerity, the weather in East Lothian is often splendid as the prevailing Atlantic weather systems have dumped their load of rain on Glasgow  and the west, before reaching the east. The Waterside Bistro has all you want from a Scottish country pub: whiskies, local gins, and good beers. Henry was happy to sit under the table as we tucked into fish and chips and a generously proportioned burger, hoping chips would rain down around him. I loved it at the Waterside and would happily come back. I’d describe the menu as traditional with contemporary options, served in good amounts by friendly folk.

To walk off the good food and stretch Henry’s legs we called at the ever-popular North Berwick. This is an immensely dog friendly place and a human friendly one too. A walk on either beach will involve  stopping and chatting about the weather with other walkers as your respective dogs say ‘hello’. Both bays are sandy, with the West beach being perhaps the best for letting dogs run their legs off. A little further east is Yellowcraig beach. Reputedly, views of the Findra Island lighthouse, from Yellowcraig,  inspired Robert Louis Stevenson to write Treasure Island. 

Further still is Gullane beach, with walks through the dunes. I quite enjoyed a quick explore of the 

rockpools, lifting seaweed and moving stones to find crabs and blennies. Henry, of course, thinks this is a fantastic game and recognises that I’m catching interesting things, to the point that he’ll come and stand in the pool just in case I find a critter, largely ruining my ‘sport’. I don’t think he gets it! 

If you are in this neck of the woods, there’s a detour you really must make. It’s only partially dog friendly I’m afraid, but it’s understandable. A few miles from Haddington and easily found from the A1 at the East Fortune airfield is the National Museum of Flight. The museum houses over 40 historic aircraft – including one of British Airways’ Concordes – in several large hangars, which dogs are not allowed to enter: that’s a shame, but I’m okay with it. 

However, you can walk around the site with dogs and visit several aircraft including a historic Vulcan Bomber which was one of the few of its kind to ever see active service, during the Falklands War. The Museum of Flight might not interest everyone, but you do get the chance to climb aboard a Concorde. 

Heading westward, away from Haddington and towards the mouth of the Tyne is John Muir Country Park. Born in Dunbar, John Muir is known as the ‘Father of the National Parks’ and according to the John Muir Trust the founder of the modern conservation movement. His birthplace – he emigrated  when he was ten years old – is now a fascinating museum in Dunbar. The park has a play area and toilets.

John Muir was also the inspiration for a wonderful piece of public art, the Dunbar Bear on the town’s outskirts. Completed in 2019 by Andy Scott, the same sculptor behind the Kelpies near Falkirk, the five-metre steel bear near the A1, and the road into Dunbar, is a fitting  tribute. If you don’t know much of the town’s history, it can be a slightly surreal sight as you drive past.

Dunbar itself is well worth a visit. The town has a central high street lined with smart characterful buildings and, pleasingly, plenty of independent retailers that benefit from the town’s tourist footfall. For me, and of course Henry, the most interesting part of the town is the harbour and 

I think it is best approached on foot, walking through the town, via Castlegate and then onto Victoria Place. Snacks, treats and warm drinks can be found at the Kittiwake Café on the harbourside. The harbour is incredibly picturesque with sea walls linking rugged rocks and, of course, the remains of the castle, reputed to have been one of the strongest in Scotland. Dunbar harbour still shelters a small fishing fleet and several leisure boats, but today it is a peaceful place, popular with dog walkers, bird watchers and even scuba divers. It is worth a lookout for Eider ducks if you are inclined to watch our feathered friends and the Kittiwakes that nest around the castle ruins.

Technically Dunbar has two harbours, the Victoria and Cromwell with the Battery on Lamer island sitting between them. As you’d expect, describing such a history-rich location effectively is near impossible. Go see for yourself is my recommendation – you won’t be disappointed. Henry, of course, considers the entire place as a network of fascinating smells. The shore, when rinsed  clean of most smells twice a day must be incredibly boring for him, but the high-water mark excites him greatly. We often throw him a ball only to watch him ignore it entirely, much to other dog walkers’ amusement, as he pours over the plethora of smells where the tide rarely reaches.

Returning to Birchbank, after a long winter’s day exploring East Lothian is a treat. Despite being a large building, it is wonderfully warm and cosy, and a fine place too for a dog to snooze in front of a real fire. It’s not bad for humans either. Birchbank is the perfect place for a family or group of friends to base themselves to explore the rich history, landscape, nature, and coastline of East Lothian

Birchbank, Haddington, review by Richard Aspinall and appears in DogFriendly magazine issue 77.  For more information on the DogFriendly magazine visit https://www.dogfriendly.co.uk/magazine