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Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
Gullane
Give Gullane one night if you play golf or walk the coast; otherwise day-trip from Edinburgh on the X5/124 bus, about 80 min each way.
Gullane is a small East Lothian seaside village, population about 2,800, built around golf: Muirfield hosts the Open, and Gullane Golf Club runs three links courses. The beach at Gullane Bents and the John Muir Way coast path are the non-golf reasons to come. It is 20 miles east of Edinburgh, reachable by bus in about 80 minutes, with no railway station of its own.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (short days, cold wind); Open Championship weeks for hotel prices
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- GBP
- Money
- Currency is the pound sterling (GBP, £). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere; some places are card-only.
- Daily spend
- Budget £55–85 excl. bed · Mid £85–140 excl. bed · High £140+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EE, Vodafone (merged with Three in 2025) and O2 run the networks; prepaid SIMs sell in supermarkets, phone shops and airport vending machines, no registration needed.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 999 · EU emergency number 112 · NHS non-urgent 111 · Police non-urgent 101
- Plugs
- Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Three-pin Type G only; European, US and Australian plugs need an adapter. Bathrooms have two-pin shaver sockets only.
- Tipping
- Restaurant with table service: 10–12.5% if no service charge is on the bill; check before adding more.; Pub or bar: Not expected; 'and one for yourself' offers the bartender a drink.; Taxi: Round up or 10%.; Hotel porter: £1–2 per bag.; Tour guide: £5–10 per person for a day tour; free walking tours expect £10–15.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Free refills are common; restaurants will bring tap water if you ask.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are scarce and some charge 50p–£1 or are card-only. Stations, museums, department stores and pubs (if you buy a drink) are the fallback.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | £3–4.50 |
| Pub main course | £12–20 |
| Pint of beer | £5–6.50 |
| Fish and chips | £10–16 |
| Muirfield 18-hole round, Apr–Oct | £340 |
| Muirfield 18-hole round, Nov–Mar | £150 |
| Dirleton Castle adult entry | £7.50 |
| National Museum of Flight adult entry | £14.50 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- EDI · Edinburgh Airport
- About 45–60 min by road to Gullane; tram or bus into Edinburgh first, then the X5/124 from the city centre
Typical fares
- Edinburgh → Gullane, East Coast Buses X5/124
- about 80 min, roughly every 30–60 min
- North Berwick station → Gullane taxi
- £10–15, about 10 min (check)
- Gullane Golf Club round
- book ahead; courses 1–3
Get around
The village is small enough to walk: beach, clubhouses and Main St are all within about 15 minutes on foot. East Coast Buses X5 and 124 run along the coast to Musselburgh, Edinburgh and North Berwick, roughly every 30–60 min. A car helps for Dirleton, Aberlady and the National Museum of Flight; the A198 is the coastal route, since bicycles are not allowed on the new A1.
See and do
Known for
- Muirfield golf course
- Gullane Bents beach and dunes
- Gullane Golf Club links
- John Muir Way coast path
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| North Berwick | East Coast Buses X5 or 124 east, about 15 min | About 30 min |
| Dirleton Castle | Buses to North Berwick pass Dirleton; otherwise a 2-mile walk or cycle east | About 30–45 min |
| National Museum of Flight, East Fortune | Car or taxi via the B1347, about 3 miles south | About 15 min by car |
| Edinburgh | East Coast Buses X5 or 124 from Princes St and Fountainbridge, about 80 min | About 1 h 30 min |
| Dunbar | Train from North Berwick, or bus and train via Edinburgh | About 1 h |
| Musselburgh | East Coast Buses X5 or 124 west along the coast road | About 45–60 min |
Sleep
- Gullane village centre (Main St and East Links Rd)
- Walkable to the beach, the golf clubhouses and the pubs; the only real base in the village.
- Dirleton
- One to two miles east; a few inns and hotels, castle nearby, buses to North Berwick pass through.
- North Berwick
- Three miles east with the nearest railway station; more beds and restaurants, hourly trains to Edinburgh.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Single / return to Gullane, please | Single / return to Gullane, please |
| Is this seat free? | Is this seat free? |
| Where is the beach car park? | Where is the beach car park? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| Do you take bookings for tomorrow? | Do you take bookings for tomorrow? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake at first meeting; 'hi' and first names quickly; avoid: Cheek kisses with strangers
- Conversation: Weather is a safe opener; understatement and self-deprecating humour; avoid: Asking about salary or class
- Queues: Join at the back; avoid: Pushing onto buses or trains before others get off
- Apologies: 'Sorry' is said constantly, even when not at fault; avoid: Taking it as an admission of blame
- Pubs: Buy rounds in a group; wait at the bar without waving money; avoid: Clicking fingers at staff
- Nations: Call Scots Scottish and Welsh Welsh; avoid: Calling the whole UK 'England'
Scams and watch-outs
- Hotel prices jump sharply around major golf events, especially the Open at Muirfield: book months ahead or avoid those weeks.
- Muirfield takes visitor rounds only on Tuesdays and Thursdays, booked up to a year ahead; no booking, no round.
- The bay between Gullane and Aberlady is mudflat: do not try to short-cut across it, use the John Muir Way.
- Mobile signal is patchy: 4G from EE and Vodafone, weaker from O2 and Three, and no 5G in the area.
- Luffness Castle is a private home with no tours: view from the path only.
A quiet, low-crime village; the real risks are tide and mud on the bay, wind and cold on the coast path, and unlit roads after dark. Use 999 or 112 in an emergency, 111 for NHS advice.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Gullane yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Muirfield golf course
- Gullane Bents beach and dunes
- Gullane Golf Club links
- John Muir Way coast path
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- VisitScotland — East Lothian: www.visitscotland.com/places-to-go/east-lothian
- East Coast Buses: eastcoastbuses.co.uk/
- Muirfield: www.muirfield.org.uk/
- Gullane Golf Club: www.gullanegolfclub.com/
- National Museum of Flight: www.nms.ac.uk/flight
- Historic Environment Scotland — Dirleton Castle: www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/dirleton-castle/
- Myreton Motor Museum: www.myretonmotormuseum.co.uk/
- Wikivoyage: Gullane, revision 5264887 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5264887
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Gullane
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Gullane; the US consulate-general is in Edinburgh, and most other countries keep embassies in London.
Tipping: 10–12.5% in restaurants if no service charge is added; not expected in pubs.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/gullane). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.