Burnmouth seems to have had more than its share of calamities brought about by extreme weather over the years. A quick glance at the news archives for this little community just inside the Scottish side of the border reveals a range of weather-related dramas. In 1958 a landslide on the coast road of the village caused by heavy rains loosening the soil caused several families to be cut off from the rest of the village. In 2003 days of pouring rain resulted in a boulder being dislodged from the top of a hill, bringing it crashing down on a retired sea captain’s car. In 2005 a lorry was blown over on the A1 near Burnmouth, killing the driver of a car which was crushed by the vehicle. But the most heartbreaking story of tragedy brought about by the elements occurred back in 1881, when Burnmouth was one of several coastal settlements in the area which lost large numbers of their fishermen at the hands of a ferocious storm which blew up too rapidly for the men to get back to safety. 24 men from Burnmouth were killed in the storm, including three from one family.
The name of the village comes from the “burn” or brook which cuts through the cliffs here. There are two main parts to the village, Upper Burnmouth at the top of the cliffs, where the East Coast Main Line runs along the clifftop, and Lower Burnmouth at the bottom of the cliffs. The two communities are linked by the “Brae”, a road which climbs the cliff from the lower to the upper village, and every year in May a cycle race is held called the “Brae Race”, the course of the race consisting of this steep road.
Map of the area.