Local

GLOWING LIGHT OVER FIDRA

19th May 2023

There are evenings when the light just catches your breath. This was one of those evenings. We’d timed this walk at Yellowcraig for low tide – something I’d always advise if you’re visiting for the first time as this beach is so wide and expansive at low tide, while the tide line is high at a very high tide. They’re two entirely different beach walks.

While it’s always tempting to take the direct path that leads from the car park to the beach, we tend to either start with a woodland walk, which leads to the grassland and then on to the dunes, or we head straight across the grassland to walk along the top of the dunes, as we did on this evening. I love the views from the dunes: first, as Fidra appears, with the low sunlight illuminating the lighthouse, and then as that light glows across the marram grasses.

And then, further along the dunes, with this view towards The Lamb and Craigleith, and with Bass Rock gleaming white in the distance thanks to the multitude of gannets that call this place home. At this point, we wind down through the dunes, spilling onto the beach, the lads eager to run and sniff and explore.

I should mention this lead*. We were sent (#gifted) this a few months ago by a company called Tangle, who recycle ghost nets – the term for discarded or lost fishing nets – to create these strong, hardwearing (also waterproof) and great looking leads. The handle features cork, which I also like as it’s a sustainable material, it’s really comfortable to hold, and it isn’t leather (which we don’t use). The lads have shared about Tangle on Instagram – you can see posts here and here – and you can also read about the dangers (and, frankly, the horror) of ghost nets on Tangle’s website and Instagram.

I’d no idea of the scale of the ghost net problem until encountering Tangle and then discovering other sources – like Ghost Fishing UK – who tackle this head on. Living on the coast, I feel connected to this, and it’s been great to find a company that’s not only raising awareness of the problem but also addressing it through their products.

Back to this walk… There’s always something about the skies here, these big skies. I’ve written about this often and if you’re a regular here you’ll know that I’m obsessed with these skies over the Forth and the shifting light. This is a land and sky and seascape that I never tire of.

And on this evening, as we walked back, the light blazed. It was stunning. I was taking videos all the way back, knowing I wanted to capture these moments with the lads striding out along the beach in front of me (I’ll link a reel once I’ve shared it on Instagram)  as the sky glowed orange in the distance. The photo at the top of this post, and the last one below, were taken right at the end of the walk, as the sun was dipping low, bathing Fidra in its incredible glow.

Yellowcraig, East Lothian, April 2023.

*This post contains a gifted product; I was neither paid nor requested to share this here and there are no affiliate links.