Herring Road Show path on map

Start location: Dunbar ( NT 684 785 )

End location: A68, at entrance to Thirlestane Castle, Lauder ( NT 534 474 )

Geographical area: Lothian and Borders

Path distance: 45km

Accessibility info: Suitable for bikes, Suitable for pedestrians

Route Description

From Dunbar, a direct route by road runs by Spott and Spott Mill to Halls (NT652727). However, if walking or cycling, the Spott Road’s roundabout junction with the A1 is best avoided. Instead, the following approach is suggested – head southeast out of Dunbar on the A1087. In Broxburn, at NT692772 take a right turn into a road that formerly linked to the A1. Before this reaches the East Coast Mainline, look out for a track on the left running along the northeast side of the railway. Following this route southeast, it drops down steps to the Brox Burn and passes under both the railway and the A1. The onward route is a lovely track through woodland and along field edges which contours round the northwest side of Doon Hill heading towards Spott House. Before reaching the big house, at NT681755 a track heads northwest via Doon to drop down towards the Spott road, just south of Doon Bridge, regaining the road route to Halls.

From Halls, continue south-southeast in the direction of Hartside. At the roadend cattlegrid (NT654722), a signposted track heads east for 300m before passing through a gate and heading south uphill on a good track. At NT658715, where this track turns east below Easter Hartside Edge, instead head south more steeply uphill. At NT657708, the Herring Road is briefly rejoined by the good track which has ascended the Edge, but shortly diverges again from this more dominant line (an old right of way south towards Friardykes and Beltondod) – to stay on the Herring Road, it is necessary to head south-southwest entering the domain of the Crystal Rig windfarm at NT654702 where a notice board shows the relationship between windfarm tracks and the pre-existing rights of way. Keep on the same general alignment to cross the upper reaches of Mossy Burn and reach the first windfarm access track. From here a combination of ScotWays markerposts and additional windfarm <Herring Road> line-of-sight posts attempt to aid navigation through the windfarm site*. Upon reaching Dunbar’s right of way crossroads at NT649688, continue southeast through the windfarm crossing the usually wet environs of the West Burn and passing through areas of plantation to reach open ground. Another windfarm information board is passed at NT640667, descending Spartleton Edge on its west side to cross the Whiteadder Water, 1km southeast of Johnscleugh.
Reaching the minor road on the west side of the Whiteadder Water, head south to meet the B6355 near Whiteadder Reservoir. Take the signposted farm road round its western end to reach Penshiel, then head south by a track to cross the Longformacus road. From here, the promoted Herring Road route proceeds by a right of way on the east side of Killpallet Burn, passes through the march fence, and descends to the road at Dye Cottage. Crossing the Dye Water’s stone bridge, head south along a track joined by the Southern Upland Way (SUW) at NT647561. From here follow the SUW, staying on it when it diverges from the track at NT645555 and heads west to pass Twinlaw Cairns, as far as Braidshawrig.
From Braidshawrig, the direct and shortest route to Lauder is by an old track going southwest across the moor on the west side of Blythe Water. In 2km, the SUW (which has taken a different route from Braidshawrig) is rejoined. Continue along the SUW, southwest to Wanton Walls, and cross the A697 to follow the waymarked route through a wood and over the Leader Water by Thirlestane Castle to Lauder.

OS Landranger 67 (Duns, Dunbar & Eyemouth) & 73 (Peebles, Galashiels & surrounding area)

ScotWays has a range of maps and leaflets available, in both paper and digital formats, including Paths In and Around the Lammermuirs which shows the Herring Road and other historic routes in the area. We hope you find our Lammermuirs map leaflet interesting and useful, but please note it is designed for inspiration, rather than wayfinding. If you wish to travel the Herring Road, we strongly recommend you take a much larger scale map with you.

*It may also be clear from the above that the Herring Road passes through Crystal Rig windfarm and has become more difficult to follow as a result. There are plans to improve the signage, but if you’d like a general idea of what to expect at present, read Dixe Wills’ description of he and his friend’s wild camping trip travelling the entire route from Dunbar to Lauder in January 2015. If you’re considering cycling the Herring Road, we suggest MTB Innerwick Stravaiger’s excellent blog of his journey from Lauder to Dunbar in July 2014.

Heritage Information

The Herring Road is thought to have been predominantly in use during the 18th and 19th centuries when the herring industry was strong, although records of the inland trade in fish go back to the mid-17th century. The route was used by people bringing home a stock of salted herring for winter use and also by fishwives carrying huge creels of herring from Dunbar to the markets in Lauder. There are parts of the route where V-shaped gouges may be evidence of the repeated use of heavily laden carts or packhorses, perhaps trying to get through the mud.

The first part between Dunbar and the Whiteadder Water is the original road; between there and Lauder the Herring Road is shown on the old OS 6-inch map as lying further west, over Hunt Law and Wedder Law. Roy's map of 1755 appears to shows the road slightly further west again, going over Meikle Says Law, Hunt Law and Wedder Law, and thence to Cleekhimin (2km south of Carfraemill) and Lauder, and calls it ‘Muir Road from Lauder to Dunbar’. However, the exact line appears to have moved over time, possibly dependent upon ground conditions. It's also worth noting that Lauder wasn't the only destination, for example, in the eighteenth century people from Westruther were said to travel to Dunbar at Lammas to get a stock of herring for the winter. Fish-carriers or cadgers also transported fish inland for sale. Old maps show that a network of routes across the Lammermuirs; the promoted Herring Road signposted today is thus just one variant.

Gradually the speed and ease of the railway lines left little need for people to carry huge weights of fish over the high ground of the Lammermuirs and the routes declined in use. It is probably a long time since a herring has passed by this way.

More recently, the Herring Road has inspired artistic reflection and interpretation. Phamie Gow's 2002 album Lammermuir includes a track called The Herring Road. In 2011, Haddington's Peter Potter Gallery commissioned Julia Douglas, Wounded Knee and Ross Combe to consider the route's cultural heritage as inspiration for an exhibition on the Herring Road. That year also saw the publication of Rita Bradd's evocative poem Herrin Trail. In August 2016, Creel Loaders by Gardner Molloy was completed and installed at the junction of Victoria Street and Castle Gate, near Dunbar harbour. This stone statue depicts a woman being loaded up with a basket of fish in preparation for the long walk to Lauder - we suggest then that Dunbar Harbour should still be considered an appropriate place to start a journey along the Herring Road.

Another historic route similarly used for the trade in fish is the Buckie Fishwives Path, Moray. Closer to hand, but much shorter, is the Creel Road in the Scottish Borders.