Sunny Days at the Coast . . . . .

Well, this has been a full and interesting day!. It started off very early with a cup of tea and a croissant at the beach at North Berwick. The tea was taken from home and the croissant freshly baked in the Co-op on the High Street. The beach was quiet with only the odd dog walker but the lobster man was out in his wee boat, collecting his creels from the flat calm water and although these conditions make for a pleasant morning at the beach, they aren't much good for the Topper sailors who have been becalmed during their Championship racing week.

Jim and Iain, two of my old pals, came to see how my recovery was progressing and we went for lunch to my 'local' -  the Castle Inn at Dirleton They (and me) were very impressed. The menu is extensive but fish and chips and steak and ale pie were the popular choices at our table. The welcome there is always friendly and Bert the owner is always on hand to come round the tables to check that everything is ok. Which of course, it was.

In the evening, it was back down to North Berwick to watch the annual spectacle that is the Law race. The intrepid runners start off from the harbour and from there they run up the Law before returning to the harbour. The fastest of them only take about 20 minutes which is very impressive as those of you who know the distance and the height invoved, will know.

We mistook the start time which allowed us to visit the cute wee Lobster Shack at the harbour. This establishment, new this summer, does exactly what it says on the tin. It's a shack and it sells lobster! (And various other types of seafood). Unfortunately, it is so popular that we didn't have time to wait for food on this occasion but we will get back there before the summer is out. It's also going to be open late during the excellent Fringe by the Sea events in the town next week, so if you get the chance, I think it looks like it is going to be well worth a visit. 

On nights like this, North Berwick really does come alive and with all the runners for the race and all the sailors on the water, it lives up to its reputation as the 'Biarritz of the North' .