Gullane

Gullane is a seaside village in East Lothian, Scotland. It is known as a major destination for golf tourists, as the village is surrounded by several golf courses, including Muirfield, a regular venue for the Open Championship.

Understand

Gullane Bents

Gullane has a population of 3800.

Get in

Gullane is located around 20 mi (32 km) to the east of Edinburgh, on the A198 road which follows the East Lothian coast. There is a half-hourly bus service to and from Edinburgh and North Berwick operated by First Buses, while the nearest train station is 2 miles away at Drem, on the Edinburgh to North Berwick line. There are is no regular public transport between Drem and Gullane.

Get around

See

• 🌍 Gullane Bents (Follow any of the side roads running north from the main road through the village to reach the beach. If you've arrived here by car, take the 2nd left after entering the village from the west, which leads to a large car park from where it's a short walk down to the beach). Gullane Bents is the name for the village's award-winning beach. This is a broad curve of golden sands, backed by large sand dunes, and with rocks at the eastern end, and low cliffs at the western end. There's usually an ice-cream van here. 
• The Heritage of Golf Museum (Adjacent to the Pro Shop at Gullane Golf Club), ☎ [phone]. Open by appointment. The museum shows how the game developed after it arrived in Scotland from Holland in the 15th Century. Free. Donations welcome. 
• 🌍 The National Museum of Flight, East Fortune Airfield, East Lothian (About 3 miles to the south of Gullane, near the village of Drem), ☎ [phone]. Daily 10AM-5PM. Aims to tell the history of flight throughout the 20th century, and has a large collection of aircraft, including British Airways Concorde G-BOAA. Remember to book in advance to see inside Concorde as these tickets are generally sold out on the day. Another rather good attraction (and well worth the look) is the De-Havilland Comet 4C, a derivative of the Worlds first jetliner. Adult £5.50, concessions £4.50, child 12 and under free. Concorde: adults £3, children £2.  
• 🌍 Dirleton Castle (About 2 miles east of Gullane on the road to North Berwick). Daily 9:30AM-5:30PM (4:30PM in winter). Impressive castle dating from about 1240, set in well kept gardens. £5.50.  

Do

• 🌍 The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, Muirfield, ☎ [phone]. Open for visitors Tu and Th. The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers wrote the first recorded rules of the game in 1744 when they were based at Leith Links. They moved to Muirfield in 1891 and the course has been known as one of the World's finest ever since. Visitor bookings are taken up to a year in advance and are taken up very quickly - plan well ahead and take advantage of the online booking system on their website. £235 per person for one round and £310 for two rounds on the day.(£110 for one round Nov-Mar). (updated Aug 2017)
• 🌍 Gullane Golf Club, West Links Rd, ☎ [phone]. Three 18-hole links courses, plus a children's course. Both number 1 and 2 courses have been used for qualifying for the Open Championship. Much easier to get a round here compared to Muirfield, but you should still book in advance. Various different deals available throughout the year - check the website. Whilst it's the shortest of the three courses, No. 3 isn't regarded as the 'poor relation' of Nos. 1& 2, with many commentators remarking on its challenging nature. The three 18-hole courses all start from the Western edge of the village, with the children's course (adults only allowed when accompanied by a child!) accessed from the old village green, a short way along the high street. There are a lot of golf courses all along the coastline of East Lothian: virtually one in every town or village. 

Buy

• LouLou's, 10A Lammermuir Terrace, Gullane (on the main road, east side of the village), ☎ [phone]. Independent hairdressing salon and stockists of Aveda professional hair products. 

Eat

• 🌍 La Potiniere, Main St, ☎ [phone]. W-Su 12:30PM-1:30PM, 7PM-8:30PM. Award-winning fine dining restaurant which prides itself on using the best locally-sourced ingredients. Diners travel here from all over south-east Scotland. 
• 🌍 Falko Konditormeister, 1 Stanley Road, EH31 2AD (At the crossroads in the centre of the village), ☎ [phone]. M W-F 8AM-5:30PM; Sa 9AM-5:30PM, Su 11AM-5:30PM. German-style bakery, serving tea, coffee and German pastries such as Black Forest gateau. There are some delicious savouries on offer as well. 

Drink

• Golf Inn, Main St, ☎ [phone]. Friendly village pub. Also has a restaurant. 

Sleep

• The Mallard Hotel, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Family-run hotel overlooking the golf courses. 18 rooms. 
• 🌍 Greywalls Hotel, Duncur Rd (just off the main road heading east of the village), ☎ [phone]. Very highly-rated hotel, designed by the renowned architect Sir Edwin Lutyens in 1901, and retaining an Edwardian style.  

Connect

Go next

The green, rolling East Lothian countryside is all around. North Berwick, Dunbar and Haddington are all pleasant small towns within a few miles of Gullane. Scotland's capital city of Edinburgh is only around 20 miles away.