Sunday 12th June: Cove, North Berwick and Eyemouth.

Cove is best described as a Cornish Fishing Village that got transported to a far northern shore.
At it's peak there were 25 fishermen going out after the herring, that is until "Black Friday the 14th of October 1881" when no less that eleven of the fishermen were lost in a single day.
This link tells the story of the tragedy,

A small brass memorial at the clifftop of the stricken women folk looking out to sea is on the car park, and similar ones are sited at Eyemouth where 129 men were lost, and Burnmouth (24 men) there were other places too and you will find these bronze memorials there.

We found to our diappontment that the wooden steps that lead down to the access road had collapsed, and as Pat couldn't climb over the locked gate, we set off along the clifftop path hoping to at least get a view down onto the harbour.
At one point we came across this strange carved seat, it was cut from a single billet of curved wood, which had been carved away at one end to resemble curved planks, with upright pieces of wood slotted into the grooves, very strange!

Just in front of this "seat we could see down onto the harbour, and I did a panoramic as it was impossible to get it all in!

Note the upward facing curved and jagged rows of rocks outside the harbour, they look like som monstrous animal's ribs!
So then I took this shot of the buildings on the outer harbour side

And noticed that there were two figures in front of one of the doorways.

Happily tucking into some food on the doorstep. On the other side of the harbour is this house, boarded up at the moment, but we have been there when it was open and being used as a holiday cottage.
This could only be reached through a tunnel through the harbour side hill which had been blasted out with gunpowder.

There used to be a network of cellars in the cliff (used it is said for smuggling) but these had to be sealed off as they became unstable.
Thanfully a couple of fishing boats still operate from the little harbour, keeping it alive.
Pat fancied visiting North Berwick so North we went, this is the view along the superb beach, looking north toward the town.

Gorgeous, isn't it? and there are delightful islands out in the bay, too.

And you can see the magnificent Bass Rock, covered in birds (yes those white dots are really birds!)

Then it was nearly lunchtime, so South again to visit our favourite cafe in Eyemouth for Eggs Gammon and chips, followed by a walk along the quay side,as usual there were plenty of fishing boats in,

And apart from the lifeboat on station, two others came in for maintenance at the little shipyard at the end pf the harbour

We also had to see "lady" the harbour seal, who swims near to the fish merchant van on the harbour side, it has the rather jolly name "Eels on Wheels" and does good business selling fish for human consumption, and rather more to feed the seal waiting below!

Then Pat had problems with an ankle and we had to head back to base, thankfully the ankle recovered later.
I had planned a bike ride in the evening, but rain put paid to that idea!