Travel - Dunbar - where dreams were born Photo by Kenny Lam / VisitScotland John Muir’s Birthplace in Dunbar
Dunbar - where dreams were born
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here is little wonder that pioneering environmentalist and father of the National Parks John Muir grew up in awe of the beauty of the natural world when you consider where he was born. The historic town of Dunbar lies some 30 miles east of Edinburgh and is perfect for a quick and easy day out from the big city. As you would expect the town is justifiably proud of its most famous son as there
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are numerous memorials and commemorations of the visionary who had a dream to protect the world. The John Muir Way, a 134 mile walk, starts in the town and crosses the county to finish in Helensburgh on the west coast. There is also at least two sculptures dedicated to Muir. The first is a statue in the High Street beside the town clock of him as a young boy and the second is a 16ft high steel bear, created by Andy Scott, the man behind the world famous Kelpies.
Muir, was born in the town in 1838 but emigrated from Scotland in 1849 to the United States where he forged a career as a naturalist, botanist, zoologist, glaciologist and evangelical environmentalist. He is credited with petitioning the US Government to establish Yosemite National Park. The bear is a symbol of his love for the American wilderness. In addition to the statues the house he was born in has been transformed into a museum and the exterior restored to how it
