North Berwick Law
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North Berwick Law | |
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The whale's jawbone as it sat on top of North Berwick Law |
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Elevation | 187 m (613 ft) |
Location | East Lothian, Scotland |
Prominence | c. 167 m |
Topo map | OS Landranger 66 |
OS grid reference | NT555842 |
Listing | Marilyn |
North Berwick Law is a conical hill which rises incongruously from the surrounding landscape (indeed, this is the definition of the Scots word 'law'). It overlooks East Lothian town of North Berwick and stands at 613 ft (187 m) above sea level.
Geologically, the law is a volcanic plug of hard basalt rock which survived the scraping glaciers of the ice age, and is now neatly rounded off.
The summit also bears some ancient ruins. These buildings were once used by lookouts in the Napoleonic Wars.
The famous whale's jawbone, pictured right, collapsed in June 2005 after rotting away, and was removed by helicopter, much to the surprise of North Berwick residents. A jawbone has stood there since 1709, the latest one having been there since 1933. Locals wish for it to be replaced, and talks are underway looking into receiving a new jawbone from Norway.
[edit] External link
- Computer-generated virtual panoramas North Berwick Law