Showing 1–5 of 5 free attractions in Dunbar
MuseumsJohn Muirs Birthplace
Parks and PlaygroundsJohn Muir Country Park
BeachesBelhaven Bay
MuseumsDunbar Town House Museum and Gallery
Parks and PlaygroundsPease Dean Wildlife Reserve
Free Family Days Out in Dunbar
John Muir gives Dunbar's free list its spine. John Muir Country Park is the coastal park named after him and John Muirs Birthplace the house he was born in, now a small museum, so the same day can cover both the man and the landscape that formed him. Belhaven Bay is the beach within the park's reach, Pease Dean Wildlife Reserve the woodland alternative, and Dunbar Town House Museum and Gallery the town's own collection. Two indoor, three outdoor.
The house and the country park belong together and take barely any arranging. That combination of a small museum and a large landscape is the most satisfying thing this page offers.
Free days out in Dunbar: FAQs
Should we do the birthplace before or after the park?
Before, if anybody is old enough to care who John Muir was. John Muirs Birthplace is small and quick, and it gives the walk afterwards a point that a walk alone does not have. With very young children the order matters less and the park should probably come first, on the principle that a child who has already run about will tolerate a quiet room better than one who has not.
What is the coast like at Belhaven Bay?
Belhaven Bay is a broad sandy bay within John Muir Country Park, backed by dunes and open to the sea, and the tide changes the character of it substantially through the day. It is exposed, which on this coast means wind is the deciding factor rather than temperature. Take more layers than the forecast implies and treat swimming as an unsupervised activity unless the beach tells you otherwise.
Is the wildlife reserve a serious walk?
Pease Dean Wildlife Reserve is wooded valley rather than open coast, which makes it the sheltered option on a day when the shore is unpleasant, and the terrain is uneven in the way steep woodland always is. It suits children who can walk properly and is hard work with a buggy. Reserves of this kind are quiet by design, so a family expecting facilities will not find many.