Royal treatment meets the ancient

Published Nov 26, 2015

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Edinburgh - Robert Louis Stevenson once said: “I travel not to go anywhere.

“I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” Given the Scottish scribe was the son of an Edinburgh lighthouse engineer, a job vital to the shipping along the Firth of Forth, it’s not difficult to deduce why the neighbouring East Lothian coastline, with its sandy beaches, steep cliffs, rich farmland and warm microclimate, became such a magnet for the restless young Stevenson.

And for John Muir, the great Scottish-American explorer and conservationist born in Dunbar – between East Lothian and the South Borders – there would have been an equally huge temptation to see what lay beyond.

For both men fascinated by the sea, the Firth of Forth and East Lothian yield a wealth of wildlife – puffins, seals, castles, historic homes and rock formations. Rock formations like Bass Rock, an islet inhabited by a gannet colony, exactly the fodder required to dream up the adventure classic Treasure Island and the John Muir Nature Trail.

The famous Muirfield championship links near the quaint seaside village of Gullane has inspired Gary Player and Ernie Els, who won their first Open titles here.

The historic club, which evolved into “The Honourable Company of Gentlemen Golfers”, drew up the first golf rules in 1744, when the Edinburgh Town Council presented it with a solid silver golf club for a yearly competition.

The club remains on display, behind closed doors.

The clubhouse, with its box-framed salon Elizabethan design, has become a Scottish landmark, despite lacking the aesthetic touch of one of Scotland’s foremost architects of the time, Edwin Lutyens, who was responsible for laying out the city of New Delhi.

Lutyens was commissioned to build the neighbouring Edwardian country home, Greywalls, for an avid golfer, the Honourable Alfred Lyttelton.

Lyttelton wanted his home to be within a “mashie nibblick” shot of the 18th hole at Muirfield, to overlook the ninth and 10th holes and to be surrounded by alluring gardens. Lutyens enlisted the assistance of landscaper Gertrude Jekyll, with whom he regularly collaborated.

The result was impressive enough to woo a host of distinguished guests, including royalty: King Edward VII was a regular visitor and his ablution block – built as a separate wing – was dubbed the “King’s Loo” or unofficial throne.

This charming home was requisitioned by the Royal Air Force during World War II.

The clock tower – a prominent feature of Greywalls – still carries the bullets fired by resident air force personnel, after a wee dram too many.

Small wonder that the Museum of Flight, with the famous Concorde as its showpiece, was erected nearby in East Fortune.

At some point proud Greywalls also morphed into a maternity hospital, where, much to the horror of the Muirfield honourables, rows of nappies lined the fairways, flapping in the sea breeze alongside the flagpole on the 10th.

In more modern times, Sir James Horlick, grandfather of present owner Giles Weaver, bought this last model of a Lutyens house in Scotland. The family have turned it into a luxury hotel.

East Lothian boasts more sunshine than any other part of Scotland and in August the sun was blazing down as we meandered through lush meadows and among grazing cows.

Driving past Dirleton Castle, a splendid 13th-century ruin with a world-famous herbaceous border, we wound our way towards the sparkling sea, finally arriving, up a narrow lane, at the threshold of the best-kept secret in the south – Greywalls, named after the distinctive Rattlebags quarry stone used to build it.

The walled garden, covered in rambling roses, adjacent to the manicured driveway lawns, has arched doors offering a peek at Jekyll’s plethora of flower beds. However, before one can venture forth like Stevenson and Muir to explore, concierges magically appear, like liveried footmen, to whisk one’s bags up the wide wooden staircase, over which Sir James, in full oil-painted regalia, presides.

There is no reception area at Greywalls – after all, this is ultimately an exclusive home and in the tradition of stately house parties, one is ushered directly to your room to check in at leisure at the antique writing desk provided.

Our room had a bathroom large enough to rival the “King’s Loo”, and a shuttered bay window, strewn with colourful coffee table books, overlooking the garden in full summer bloom. Most suites have sweeping views of Muirfield and the Firth of Forth.

Because of the glorious weather, the manager urged us to head for the pretty coastal town of North Berwick to visit a summer fair, from which we would also see the Red Arrows warming up for the famous East Fortune Air Show.

There is something surreal about drifting between tents along the shoreline, ice-cream cone dripping, with the tunes of Scotch pipers, perched on dunes, mingling with the strong Scotch accents of shrieking children launching themselves into roguish waves and the drone of biplanes overhead.

We returned to the sanctuary of Greywalls and sunset tennis, on a lawn tennis court.

Greywalls’ resident pianist – a policeman – drew frequent applause during cocktails before and after dinner.

The cartoons lining the walls of Michel Roux’s fashionable restaurant, Chez Roux, transported me right back to the 1980s in London and my first introduction to gourmet food, which I greeted mostly with disdain, at Le Gavroche, founded by Roux’s father in Mayfair. While my taste buds have happily become more educated, the Roux trademark specialities remain as refined as ever – the famous cheese souffé I would leave home for.

On my early morning run along the nearby Gullane beach, I stumbled into the Muirfield starter, George, in suit and tie and with golf cart in tow, on his way to the Gentlemen Only Clubhouse.

After a casual conversation in passing, I found myself and my partner inadvertently invited to a private tour of the hallowed Muirfield clubhouse.

To gain entrance to Muirfield’s inner sanctum is a privilege akin to gaining entry to the royal box at Wimbledon, only more difficult to obtain.

Veteran tennis star Abe Segal was speechless when I announced my coup over smoked salmon and scrambled eggs.

Dressed in suitably more formal attire, we pressed the button of the imposing Muirfield gate, to rendezvous with George.

Our one-hour tour of the rarest sporting memorabilia in Scotland – including the original silver club with at least 50 solid silver golf balls attached, and being made privy to the original art and antique trophies adorning the panelled walls of the captain’s dining room, locker rooms and gentleman’s bar – will be something we shall never forget.

Certainly, the proximity of Greywalls to this beautiful, ancient links enhances its own charm and well-preserved history.

Any visitor to Edinburgh would be well advised to follow in Stevenson and Muir’s intrepid footsteps and take a few hours to seek their own adventure, meandering along the Firth of Forth, and discovering the abundant marine life, pretty coastal towns and pastoral beauty that is East Lothian.

l Deborah Curtis-Setchell was flown by Virgin Atlantic on its Little Red Route between Heathrow and Edinburgh. Golf bags travel free on these flights.

Deborah Curtis-Setchell, Saturday Star

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