Eyemouth Harbour

Eyemouth is a historic little fishing town 5 miles (8 km) north of the England/Scotland border. Fishing here dates back to the 13th century and the harbour remains active. As with many coastal communities, in the 18th century the town was a smuggling hotspot; dealing in the illicit trades of wine, spirits, tea and tobacco via a network of caves and underground tunnels. These days, there are plenty of places for food and drink in the town, shops, as well as accommodation.

The tourist walk through the city is called the "Smuggler's Trail" and leads to the most important places in the city. Everyone can make up their own mind about it. Eyemouth - All smugglers? Eyemouth became important, at least for Scotland, when Berwick-upon-Tweed fell to the English in the 15th century. There was a lot of fighting in this border region, then at some point the borders were as they are and Eyemouth became Scotland's southernmost port, market place and church district. In 1695, 304 people lived here, not including the poor, it is noted in the local museum, they were not counted. Witches were also burned here, of both sexes, two dozen men, women and unfortunately also children. Fishing wasn't really popular here at the beginning. The harbor was inadequately protected from northern storms and was not safe. In the first half of the 19th century the port was expanded and formed the basis for the subsequent rapid development of the fishing industry. At the 14th. In October 1881, a catastrophe occurred that is encountered here again and again. Eyemouth's fleet had sailed to the fishing grounds in bright sunshine, but without warning - there were no good forecasts in those days - a violent storm broke out and few made it back to safety. 129 Eyemouth fishermen died. Many died within sight of their families, a sculpture on the beach clearly shows this. About 30 years earlier, more than 100 people died of cholera here in six weeks. What did people here have to go through back then? But what about the smugglers? Eyemouth was popular as a focal point for them. Roughly close to Norway and mainland Europe, a coast with many hideouts and narrow streets in the city that you could duck into.