Walk of the week: John Muir Country Park, Dunbar.

Following the Scotsman Walk of the week from New Year 2013,  I headed off to the John Muir Country Park today. The conditions were fabulous: the sun was shining, the waves crashing into the shore had taken on a deep blue colour,  and everything looked just like a beach should. Even more perfect than normal perhaps, as the gusting wind ensured no footprints lasted for long!
Walking along the wide open spaces of Balhaven Bay beach, the true value of the natural world could not fail to be appreciated: something John Muir realised in the same area more than 150 years ago. The environmentalist was born in Dunbar and went on to found National Parks in North America, becoming a pioneer in the drive to protect wild spaces. His memory lives on in East Lothian with the country park and a long-distance footpath named after him. In the United States, his honours include being featured on a 25 cent coin.