St Abb’s Head, St Abbs

"Its a fantastic place to visit when the thrift and rock-rose are out. Breathtaking!"

- Liza Cole, the  National Trust for Scotland
 

Cradled in in a rugged landscape - formed by volcanoes 400 million years ago - lies one of the best examples of a maritime grassland in Scotland. In early summer the meadow is full of flowers: rock-rose mixes with wild thyme, attracting the rare Northern Brown Argus butterfly, who eats the former as caterpillars and drinks the latter for nectar. St Abb's Head is also a major stop-off site for migrant seabirds and thousands can be seen nesting on the cliffs hereabouts. The site is named after St. Ebba, who in 6th century, established a chapel in area.