North Berwick (/ˈbɛrɪk/; Scottish Gaelic: Bearaig a Tuath)[2] is a seaside town and former royal burgh in East Lothian, Scotland.

[citation needed] On the south side of North Berwick Law there is evidence of at least 18 hut circles, rich middens and a field system dating from 2,000 years ago.

[citation needed] There have been numerous archaeological excavations in the town that have uncovered evidence of North Berwick's medieval and modern remains.

One such excavation found evidence of pre-medieval occupation of the area in the form of several Iron Age Cist burials.

[5] Excavations have shown that from as early as the eighth century, a ferry crossing to Earlsferry, near Elie in Fife was in existence, serving pilgrims on their way to the shrine of Saint Andrew.

[6] North Berwick Harbour was built in the twelfth century to meet the demands made of the existing ferry trade.

Around 1150, Duncan, Earl of Fife of the Clan MacDuff[7] founded an influential Cistercian nunnery (whose power continued until the Scottish Reformation, and its dissolution in 1588).

The "Auld Kirk Green" at the harbour was allegedly used for gatherings by the accused in the North Berwick Witch Trials (1590–92).

During the sixteenth century at least 70 people were implicated in the Witch Trials, and the events inspired works such as Burns' "Tam o' Shanter" and "The Thirteenth Member" by Mollie Hunter.

Local lore, place names, and the jawbone arch first erected atop the Law in 1709,[9] suggest that the port was involved in the whaling industry, though there is little written evidence to prove it.

[15] Several of the Islands of the Forth are near the town and visible from it: e.g. Fidra, Lamb, Craigleith, and the Bass Rock; the last-named hosts a thriving colony of seabirds, including puffins and gannets.

The service takes 33 minutes and runs hourly with extra trains during peak commuting periods and on Saturdays.

The Scottish author William Dalrymple (born 1965), whose work primarily focuses on British India, has roots in the town, with his family having once owned much of the area.