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NEWSLETTER SIGNUP

East Lothian’s World Rivers Day Weekend

Overview

To celebrate World Rivers Day on 27th September various groups and organisations across East Lothian are working together to host a weekend of community events on a rivers theme. These free events run from Thursday 24th to Sunday 27th September and are open to anyone with an interest in rivers and burns – in particular the River Tyne and its tributaries and the East Lammermuir burns.  There is a wide range of activities for all ages from presentations to citizen science sessions, children’s activities, guided walks and much more.

We hope this weekend will help generate increased interest in East Lothian’s waterways and encourage action around improving the health of our rivers and all the life that depends on them. You can sign up to attend any of our events at www.tickettailor.com/events/tyneriverweekend

Collaborating groups include:

With coordination and support from the East Lothian Climate Action Network (ELCAN). 

You can find an overview of these organisations on: eastlothianclimatehub.org/elcan-east-lothian-river-connections/

EL World Rivers Weekend
EL World Rivers Weekend

Photos by Nat Spring Photography

Events

Select each one for full details and times:

Thursday 24th Sept:

Restoring the River Tyne: challenges and opportunities – Balanced Horizon and Forth Rivers Trust

7:15pm arrival for 7:30pm start, until 9:30pm , The Trinity Centre, Haddington

Booking: www.tickettailor.com/events/tyneriverweekend/2392337

A stimulating and engaging presentation and discussion around the current pressures facing the River Tyne and opportunities to restore it.

‘Restoration Tyne’ is an on-going project led by local charity Balanced Horizon in partnership with Forth Rivers Trust to better understand the ecological pressures across the Tyne river catchment and how to address them. The project is funded by the Nature Restoration Fund managed by NatureScot. This public event is aimed at anyone with an interest in the river and its wider catchment area. We will present the background to the project, an update on progress, and respond to any questions. We would also like audience input from anyone with local knowledge of River Tyne related issues.

Friday 25th Sept

Creatures of the Tyne – Open River Sampling Session

Fri 25 Sep 2026 9:15 AM – 10:30 AM, Linn Rocks

Booking: www.tickettailor.com/events/tyneriverweekend/2383167

Want to find out about the wildlife that depends on our River Tyne?

Come & join an open river sampling session by the River Guardians group in East Linton between 9:15am and 10:30am at the Linn Rocks, next to the bridge at East Linton.

All along the Tyne, local ‘River Guardians’ groups meet monthly to monitor the health of the river, by catching and counting riverflies – this UK-wide Citizen Science project is called the ‘Riverfly Monitoring Initiative’ and is coordinated by Buglife in Scotland.  Any pollution events are communicated directly with SEPA to investigate further.

Riverfly sampling is not only a powerful way to protect the river, it also makes for a  fun morning, connecting with the life of the river, and with other folks in the community.

  • Did you know that many flying insects, such as the mayfly and the damselfly, start their life underwater?
  • Have you ever seen the amazing cases made by the Caddis Fly larvae, made from grit, sticks or whatever else they can find in the river?

You’re very welcome to find out more about Riverfly Monitoring, and the invertebrate life of the river on Friday the 25th of September.

You can also join a river sampling session on the afternoon of Sunday 27th Sept on the riverbank opposite the Waterside Bistro in Haddington.  Anyone is free to turn up to this Haddington event on Sunday afternoon without registration.

For whom: Accompanied children, teenagers and adults are very welcome. These sessions are free.

More info:

Friday 25th afternoon

Haddington River Stories – History, Heritage and Nature

When: Gather from 1:45pm, for a 2pm start. Finish by approximately 4pm.

Starting point: West Mills Weir. Duration: Approximately 2 hours

Booking: www.tickettailor.com/events/tyneriverweekend/2391946

Route: West Mills Weir → Poldrate Mill → Haddington town centre → Nungate Bridge → River Tyne → Amisfield Walled Garden → Haddington

Join us for an approximately two-hour guided walk along the River Tyne through Haddington, exploring the fascinating relationship between the town, its river, its industries and its people.

Led by Cat Wright of the Forth Rivers Trust and Mike Thornton of Balanced Horizon.

This is a walk combining local history, industrial heritage, architecture, community stories and natural history, offering an insight into how the River Tyne has shaped Haddington over hundreds of years — and how the river continues to support wildlife and people today.

Starting at West Mills Weir, the walk follows the historic lade towards Poldrate Mill, discovering how the River Tyne was harnessed to power Haddington’s mills and industries. Along the route we will explore the history of West Mills, its textile and tartan production, and the former Simpson Malting, which produced malt for the brewing and whisky industries. The walk will also include stories and personal recollections of working life at the maltings.

Continuing through the town, we will visit Poldrate Mill, Haddington Parish Church of St Mary’s, the avenue of trees associated with the town’s historic trade guilds, and Lady Kitty’s Garden and Doocot. At Nungate Bridge, we will explore the area’s important role in Haddington’s history, including the former tannery and the bridge’s significance as an historic route towards Edinburgh.

The walk then returns to the River Tyne, passing the cemetery and Commonwealth War Graves, before following the riverside towards the cascades. Here the focus turns towards the natural history and ecology of the river, including river habitats, aquatic invertebrates, water quality and the importance of the Tyne as a living ecosystem.

The route continues past the golf course to Abbey Bridge and Amisfield Walled Garden, where we will explore the history of the gardens before returning to Haddington.

For whom:

This is a 2 hour walking tour with regular stops aimed primarily at adults and older teenagers. Accompanied children are welcome.

What to bring:

Good footwear, snacks and suitable clothing for the weather on the day that will keep you warm and dry.

About the facilitators:

Mike Thornton works as a Senior Ecologist for Balanced Horizon, a local conservation charity, and is Project Lead for Restoration Tyne, a landscape scale river restoration programme currently in its development phase. Mike has worked in nature conservation for over thirty years, working in the voluntary, government and private sectors. He led the development phase of Riverwoods for the Scottish Wildlife Trust, a national programme of work to create a thriving network of river woodland across Scotland. As a resident of East Lothian he has a particularly good knowledge of the county and its natural history.

Saturday 26th Sept

Sketch & Wander: Flow with the River Tyne

with Lynn Fraser/Fantoosh Sketching

When: Gather at 1:45pm, for a 2pm prompt start. Finish by 4:30pm.

Where: The Haddington Haugh (the meadow next to the river) just down from the Poldrate Arts & Crafts Centre, before the bridge. What3Words: ///shark.pens.lion

Booking: www.tickettailor.com/events/tyneriverweekend/2383122

Fantoosh sketching

Description: We’ll move as a group on this creative walk and slow down to really see the river, hear its movements and reconnect with all it brings.

There’ll be some wandering and wondering, some playful mark-making and drawing and noticing things in a fresh way, as Lynn shares invitations to tap into our co-existence with nature. There’ll be space for self-reflection, and there will definitely be cake and a cuppa!

Lynn will supply (simple) art materials on the day.

For whom:

  • Art experience and creative ability are not required for this outdoor workshop, so if you think you can’t draw and are an absolute beginner, this is exactly for you!
  • Both teenagers and adults are welcome.
  • We’ll be a small group, no more than 12 people.
  • We’ll walk at an easy pace, and for no more than a few miles, but you must be comfortable walking on uneven ground.

What to bring:

  • A curious mind, an open heart (and a reusable cup.)
  • Dress for the Scottish weather.

About the facilitator

Lynn Fraser aka Fantoosh Sketching is an East Lothian based artist, creative well-being practitioner and circle holder who is passionate about gathering people, the ways of wild nature and the practice of art making in playful and compassionate ways. She has been painting with therapeutic intent for over a decade and facilitates creative happenings and workshops for various organisations designed to reconnect people to living local nature, to place, and to each other through sketching and mark-making – almost always accompanied by cake.

She holds a deep love of dandelions.

Sunday 27th (World Rivers Day)

Contemplations on our Connection to Nature with Andy Smith

When: 10:45am – 12:30pm

Where: East Linton, along the banks of the Tyne between Stories Park and the Linn Rocks. What Three Words: ///conductor.super.narrates.  

Booking: https://buytickets.at/tyneriverweekend/2382951

Description; Three meditative exercises or practices you can use when you walk in nature or along rivers.

Contemplations Connection Natur

Andy Smith will lead us in three reflective exercises we can practice to help connect with the river, the plant and animal life within and surrounding the river whilst also connecting to the atmosphere and sense of place.

The elegant focus of the heron as it fishes, the bobbing of dippers, the flash of a kingfisher. Many of us love to be near water, it has many benefits for our mood and well-being. Seeing a healthy river flow, sensing the coolness of the trees and plants on a sunny day, hearing the bubbling of the streams or the calls of the birds. The sense of place is also important, places have a resonance or effect on us too. In this workshop we’ll practice meditative and reflective exercise to help us connect to these experiences and stay with them a little longer than we usually might do..

This workshop will provide you with opportunities to stay with and deepen these typical experiences most of us have when strolling by or idling by rivers.

No previous experience necessary.

What to bring:

Good footwear, clothing and food/drink that will keep you warm and dry for at least 90 minutes.

Something to sit on if you find standing tiring. There will be a little walking though we will be still a lot of the time.

You may also need a notebook or journal or some way to record the learning, like voice notes on your phone, or a sketchbook.

About the facilitator

Andy smith

Andy is a psychotherapist and facilitator, based in East Lothian. He teaches internationally and in the UK about Process-oriented Psychotherapy or Processwork which places a strong emphasis on our awareness and connection to place and nature and to the earth. He is fascinated about the relationships between human and other life and also how the sense of a place influences and affects us. Andy has been exploring this inside out as he is recovering from chronic Lyme Disease, and walking slowly by the river has been a big part of this recovery. When he is well Andy is writing post-punk rap and puzzling over vegetable gardening.

Sunday 27th (World Rivers Day)

River-themed children’s activities

The Trinity Centre, Haddington, 2 – 4pm

Friends of the River Tyne (FoRT) based in Haddington will be running a children’s based event with river-themed art activities, face painting and story telling. There will also be a family-friendly demonstration of invertebrate sampling being done throughout the afternoon on the riverbank opposite Waterside Bistro, part of the ‘Riverfly Monitoring Initiative‘. The Haddington River Guardians group does sampling every last weekend of the month.

  • Did you know that many flying insects, such as the mayfly and the damselfly, start their life underwater? 
  • Have you ever seen the amazing cases made by the Caddis Fly larvae, made from grit, sticks or whatever else they can find in the river?

We’re looking forward to welcoming you. Feel free to book a (free) space, or just drop-in on the day.

Children of all ages welcome.

Booking: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/tyneriverweekend/2394312

Sunday afternoon: Flow Exhibition & Natural Printing taster, Sustaining Dunbar 

John Muir’s Birthplace, Dunbar, EH42 1JJ, 2-4 pm

Come and meet Jenny, Sustaining Dunbar’s River Catchment Restoration Development Officer at the final day of the FLOW exhibition at John Muir’s Birthplace to learn about progress with their Rivers Project and to get a taste of creative workshops to come with some simple printing with natural materials.

All welcome, no booking required.