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The coastline at St Abb’s Head, where steep rocky cliffs plunge towards the sea. The clifftops are covered in grass.
Places
Scottish Borders

St Abb’s Head National Nature Reserve

Getting here

It’s possible to get here by bus, train, bike and car. Please follow signs for St Abb’s Head Nature Reserve.
Address St Abb’s Head Northfield St Abbs Berwickshire TD14 5QF

The nearest train station is Reston (6 miles away). It is served by an on-demand bus service called Pingo.

There’s also a direct bus from Berwick, and from Edinburgh it involves just one change. The bus stops (on request) next to the reserve car park, which is located at NT 913 674 and is well signposted from the B6438.

The quiet coastal roads are pleasant for cycling, and there are bike racks in the reserve car park.

Contact information

Telephone: 01890 771443

Get directions

Provided by Google Maps

Opening times

Nature Reserve

Current period Open all year, daily
Nature Centre

Current period 1 Apr–30 Nov, daily, 09.00–17.00 1 Dec–31 Mar 2026, closed

Entry prices

St Abb’s Head
Car park
£5.00

Members go free

At all Trust places, admission is free for members.

Join us today

Planning your visit

The car park is unsuitable for coaches; please contact the nearby Borders Pottery (07387 660435 or katie@borderspottery.com) to arrange use of their car park.

Borders Pottery is next to the Nature Centre, where you’ll also find the Number 4 Art Gallery. Neither is owned by the Trust, so if you’d like more information and opening times please contact them direct. Borders Pottery is a social enterprise that provides classes and opportunities to take part in pottery. They have a café, which is open from 10am–4pm (closed on Wednesdays).

There are also two other cafés, The Old School Café and the Ebb Carrs café, just down the road in the village of St Abbs. There are picnic benches outside the Nature Centre and neighbouring coffee shop. 

There are grazing livestock at this site, so please keep your dog under close control and let the animals have some space. Thank you for showing consideration for the safety of our livestock and wildlife.

St Abb’s Head is a ‘no-drone zone’ to prevent disturbance to breeding seabirds and other wildlife. Any amateur unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) operators should seek permission from the Property Manager before flying. Commercial operators should contact the Trust’s Filming Manager at filming@nts.org.uk

Please see our drop-down Facilities below for helpful information about planning your visit.

For more information about planning your visit please see our frequently asked questions.

If you’d like to speak to us we can be contacted by email: st.abbs@nts.org.uk.

Facilities & access

We have an ongoing programme of accessible content development. Detailed accessibility guides for the most visited Trust places are available on our Accessibility pages as well as links to useful resources.

We’d love you to visit the Euan’s Guide website to review the accessibility of Trust places and tell us (and others) what’s good and where we need to do better.

3G/4G coverage

There are disabled parking spaces at the reserve car park.

There are small parking areas at Pettico Wick and the lighthouse for the same reason.

There is an accessible toilet next door to the Nature Centre.

Bike racks are available.

Access to the cliffs and many of the seabird viewpoints is likely to be difficult for buggies.

The private road to the lighthouse is kept open to allow those with walking difficulties to access the reserve. It leads to a small parking area before the lighthouse that offers views of the coastline. From here, rough stony paths lead to the cliff tops.

A short, all-ability path leads from the Nature Centre to a viewpoint at the start of the coastal path, from where you can see the cliffs at Starney Bay.

Dogs are welcome. Please keep them under close control, or on a lead near farm stock, and clear up after them.

Please note that although there are dog waste bins at the car park and near the start of the walks, there are none out on the reserve, so please come prepared (with a suitable sealable container) to carry your dog’s waste.

The reserve car park is located at NT 913 674 and is well signposted from the B6438. There is a £5 per day parking fee (free to members).

Picnics
Self-guided tours

Open daily, all year round.

Walks

Access to the cliffs and many of the seabird viewpoints is not likely to be possible for wheelchairs.

The private road to the lighthouse is kept open to allow those with walking difficulties to access the reserve. It leads to a small parking area before the lighthouse that offers views of the coastline. From here, rough stony paths lead to the cliff tops.

The Nature Centre is wheelchair accessible.

There are wheelchair-accessible picnic benches outside the Nature Centre and coffee shop.

A short, all-ability path leads from the Nature Centre to a viewpoint at the start of the coastal path, from where you can see the cliffs at Starney Bay.

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