Cycle to the pretty village of East Linton in East Lothian

East Linton. You would be hard pressed to find a prettier village. Colourful flower beds, a row of characterful buildings and a fountain with golden figures. When you are cycling on Route 76 it is worth stopping to have a look around and then head to the nearby Smeaton Nursery Gardens and Tearoom for a spot of lunch next to the bird feeders.

The previous blog covers the cycle route from Haddington to Hailes Castle. From the castle continue along the narrow road for just under 2 miles and you will enter East Linton over a bridge crossing the River Tyne.

The bridge into East Linton dates from the 1500s

The village has a variety of buildings, which makes it an interesting and attractive place to walk around.

In this photo I like the small white house with the round window in its gable, sandwiched between the grander white building and the stone cottage:

East Linton

There are some of the characteristic East Lothian cottages with their red roof tiles. In this photo I like how the window to the right of the door is higher up than the window to the left of the door:

A cottage in East Linton, East Lothian

The centrepiece of the village is the cast-iron fountain with figures of four boys pouring urns. There is a decorative lamp stand on the top of the fountain.

Fountain in East Linton, East Lothian

One of the boys pouring an urn on the fountain at East Linton

​There are a couple of places to eat in the village, but I tried the Smeaton Nursery Gardens and Tearoom less than a mile away, down a long driveway (marked on the map below).

I had pea and watercress soup, a coffee cake and a cappuccino. It was excellent food, but what I loved the best about this tearoom was being able to watch the bird feeders out of the window. A blue tit arrived at one of the feeders just as I sat down. It was pecking at the seeds and I noticed that more seed seemed to end up on the ground than in his beak! 

Smeaton Nursery Garden and Tearoom. Photo from Smeaton Nursery website

Blue Tit feeding at Smeaton Nursery Gardens, East Linton

I tried to take a photograph of the birds, but each time I positioned my camera they flew off, so these photos are not brilliant.

The birds waited in a nearby hedge and then flew over to the feeders ​once the coast was clear. Each time that I made a movement to take a photo the birds flew away back to the hedge. They waited there until they felt safe enough to come back to the feeder. Again, when I moved they flew back to the hedge. I decided to sit still and enjoy watching them than trying to get a perfect photo. 

East Linton is due to have its train station reopened. This is written into the contract of the current operator of the Scotrail franchise, but no dates has yet been set. It does mean that it will be much easier to reach this village and access the surrounding area by bicycle.

Where to next?
Preston Mill is in East Linton and well worth a visit. Read my blog about Preston Mill.

How to get to East Linton

East Linton is just under 6 miles from the nearest train station at Drem. For a circular route that starts at Lingniddry station and ends at Drem follow these steps

• From Edinburgh take the 18 minute train journey to Longniddry and then take the disused railway path to Haddington (4.5 miles). Read a full description of this route
• Then follow my guide to the cycle route from Haddington to Hailes Castle
• ​Once in East Linton you could return on the same route to Longniddry station or take the road to Drem station, 6 miles from East Linton. The second map below shows this route. If you go that way there is plenty to see, including the birthplace of Scotland's flag and Concorde at the National Museum of Flight.

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