When you wander up North Berwick Law, our hard to miss volcano, you will likely be intent on getting to the top. Once there you will be rewarded, weather permitting, with a gobsmacking 360 degree view of East Lothian countryside, its coastline, the Firth of Forth and, in the distance, Fife.
However, as you sweat your way to the top, it pays to pause for a moment. Not just because the walk can be steeper than you first imagined but because you may well be standing in what once was someone's bedroom. It might not look like much today but at one point the rocky terraces of the Law were a safe haven for our ancestors.
From the Bronze Age to the Iron Age there were people living on the Law. In fact it is reckoned that folk were here in numbers from around 1000 BC.
Excavations have been carried out on the Law that have proven there are multiple stone huts, storage huts and fortifications and if you keep your wits about you some of them are pretty straight forward to spot. I do have to admit though that it wasn't until my good friend Andy Smith mentioned the Bronze Age village that I started to really take notice.
And guess what, once you start looking, your imagination runs riot! I love thinking about what these peoples' lives must have been like. So do stop and enjoy a breather in what must have been a windy location to live but one that would be pretty safe as you can certainly see everyone coming!
I find it incredible that people actually lived on the Law all these years ago. You make everything so interesting Kevin and places come alive when you tell your stories, so much more enjoyable than walking alone.
I loved my wee tour to the top! It had never occurred to me I could I standing in someone's bedroom or living space. Your stories were brilliant, Kev! Made it all come alive. And I have to admit to being glad of the breathers on route 😂 Thank you again 😊