The first surprise is that a half-hour trip by train from Edinburgh to North Berwick is really as far as you need to go for a taste of Scotland that is elemental and remote, a place of windswept beaches, stunning coastal walks and panoramic views. The West Coast and the Highlands may be more extreme, but then so is the journey to get there. This, by contrast, is an easier but no less enjoyable adventure.
We take a sleeper train from London’s Euston, tip out on to Edinburgh’s Waverley platform from our couchette, a little crumpled but refreshed. Checking in our luggage at the station, we give ourselves a couple of hours to wander along the Royal Mile, ending at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, where we lose ourselves in a maze of rooms, the standout being the death masks in the phrenology collection, including Voltaire and Keats; each eyelash and nose pore preserved in morbidly fascinating detail. After a delicious vegan breakfast in their café, we’re back on the train by midday.
Leaving Edinburgh behind, the sky expands, the horizon stretches and then the sea appears. The second surprise is our holiday home. Looking through a set of iron gates and up a long driveway, you might assume a grand Gothic pile would greet you at the end of it. Yet Leuchie Walled Garden is its polar opposite, a midcentury wonder, low-slung, sleek, geometric and gleaming white.
Designed in 1960 by the architect James Dunbar-Nasmith for the Dalrymple family (historian and author William Dalrymple spent his childhood here), it’s the sort of home you would expect to find hidden in the Hollywood Hills, but here it is, a modernist gem dropped into a Victorian walled garden in a corner of East Lothian.
Renovated three years ago, its decor has an even more contemporary edge; a mix of timber and glass coexists happily with the family’s collection of old books, objets d’art and antique furniture. The heart of the house is the open-plan living area where 18th-century family portraits preside over an Ercol-style dining table and chairs and an expanse of floor-to-ceiling glass overlooking the lawn. Wherever you look it’s a disconcerting mix of Mad Men meets Scottish baronial, but somehow the combination works brilliantly.
We’re a large-ish party of three couples with assorted older children, but we barely touch the sides – there are six bedrooms and bathrooms as well as a second kitchen – which is why it would work well for bigger family get-togethers and special occasions. The high-walled garden it overlooks is sheltered with its own microclimate, full of ancient trees and plants, and ideal for younger children who can’t wander too far. There’s a tennis court, too, and on rainy days snooker, table tennis and darts.
Once you tear yourself away, Leuchie House is a great base for local walks, while North Berwick, regularly voted the best place to live in Scotland, is only a mile down the road. With its scenic coastline and two sweeping sandy bays, it was once a notable Victorian seaside resort (the Biarritz of the north), but for decades fell out of favour. In recent years its fortunes have changed, drawing comparisons with Margate and it enjoys a thriving food scene, including bakeries, artisan coffee-makers and their award-winning NB gin and vodka distillery.
Along the High Street, dotted with cafés, bars and shops, there is the Bostock Bakery, known for its legendary loaves and pastries – the almond croissant is mouthwatering – so delicious that back in 2016 Noma chef René Redzepi reposted one on Instagram. That explains the queue. Unmissable, too, is Steampunk café where they’ve been roasting their coffee on site for more than a decade. The morning we visit, it’s packed with locals, teens and young families alongside workers on their laptops.
A 20-minute drive along the coast is Dunbar, a coastal town that is, for now, less discovered than its neighbour. Yet it is similarly charming with pretty windswept beaches and glorious sea views, a harbour and historic high street with plenty of pretty shops – the Sweetie Bank selling its award-winning ice-cream is a highlight.
On our final morning, we walk along the coast to Tantallon Castle, a crumbling 14th-century fortress with views of endless pristine sandy beaches and coves along the way. It’s worth stopping at Drift café, half a mile away, to break the journey and enjoy breathtaking views over the Firth of Forth. Another of many foodie success stories around here, husband and wife team Stuart and Jo fell in love with the location and five years later, and their café has won awards for its fresh seasonal menu, ranging from slow-cooked lamb to grilled wild mushrooms or an old-school bacon butty.
No visit to North Berwick is complete without a trek to the top of the Law, an 186m-high pointed volcanic plug covered in grass that juts out from an otherwise flat landscape. It’s a steep climb, about half an hour each way, but it’s well worth the effort. The sun breaks out and the clouds disappear as we reach the top. Exhausted, we lie on the grass staring out at the panoramic views across the Firth of Forth with a glimpse of the Lomond Hills beyond. After a leisurely descent, there’s still time for a visit to the Bostock Bakery, and one of those amazing croissants.
• This article was amended on 19 December 2023. The phrenology collection, including death masks of Voltaire and Keats, is at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh, not the “National Gallery” as an earlier version said.
For a group of up to 12 (six bedrooms and bathrooms), the house costs from £81pp a night for a week or for six couples sharing, £1,133. For more details, leuchiewalledgarden.com. Caledonian Sleeper train from Euston to Edinburgh boards from 23.45 midweek and 23.30 at weekends. A club room with en suite, breakfast and station lounge access costs from £235. For more details, sleeper.scot
