The Edinburgh Marathon finishes at Musselburgh on the East Lothian coast. North Berwick is another 30 minutes east along the same coastline - the same ScotRail line that returns you from the finish continues east. No additional transfer needed; just stay on the train.
Getting There
ScotRail from Musselburgh or Edinburgh Waverley to North Berwick: approximately 30-45 minutes depending on connection point. Trains run hourly. The North Berwick branch splits from the East Coast Main Line at Drem.
Direct services from Edinburgh Waverley to North Berwick run roughly hourly; some require a change at Drem (platform transfer, 5 minutes). Check ScotRail app for post-race Sunday afternoon times.
Bass Rock
The definitive reason to come to North Berwick. Bass Rock is a volcanic plug 2 kilometres offshore - a 107-metre lump of dolerite that holds the world's largest single-rock gannet colony. Approximately 150,000 northern gannets breed here from January to October.
At distance the rock looks white. The white is the birds.
Scottish Seabird Centre boat trips to Bass Rock depart from North Berwick Harbour (seabird.org): 90 minutes, circumnavigating the rock and observing the colony from close range. In May the colony is in full breeding activity: pairs at the nest, juveniles not yet flying, the constant aerial traffic of adults returning with fish. The noise and smell at close range are part of the experience.
Boat trips run in suitable weather conditions; book in advance. May conditions on the Firth of Forth can include wind and swell - check on the day.
Scottish Seabird Centre itself (harbour level, free entry to the Discovery Experience) has live camera feeds from Bass Rock and the Firth of Forth marine wildlife. Good if the boat trip is weather-cancelled.
The Harbour and High Street
North Berwick Harbour has the characteristic East Lothian mix of fishing boats, pleasure craft, and the constant backdrop of Bass Rock on the eastern horizon. The Lobster Shack on the harbour sells dressed crab, lobster rolls, and langoustines at tables on the quayside - the correct post-marathon (post-boat-trip) lunch, eaten while watching the gannets.
The High Street runs a few hundred metres from the harbour to the station - independent shops, a good fishmonger, and cafes that fill up on race-weekend Sunday afternoons.
Nearby: Tantallon Castle (3 miles east by taxi or the 120 bus) is a curtain-wall castle on the clifftop directly facing Bass Rock. Open April to September. Worth the taxi if energy permits.
Practical Notes
- North Berwick is 18 miles east of Edinburgh city centre.
- Post-marathon day trip: take the return train from Musselburgh, continue to North Berwick, spend 3-4 hours, return to Edinburgh.
- The return journey: ScotRail from North Berwick to Edinburgh Waverley, 30-45 minutes.
- Edinburgh Airport: bus or tram from Princes Street in the city centre (40 minutes by tram).