'Round Eyemouth: A Guide for visitors and locals', compiled by Alan Dearling and Oliver Carfrae, has been dubbed "a fascinating book" by both Michael Moore MP and John Lamont MSP.

But although it provides a wealth of information on a variety of locations from Alnmouth to Dunbar, Alan said that the book, which took just over two years to produce, is designed to assist rather than dictate people's trips as he said the best days out are when people discover things for themselves.

And this is exactly what Alan and Oliver did when they set about gathering information for 'Round Eyemouth'.

Alan commented: "Oliver has always done a lot of walking and that is where the original idea for the book came from. Whilst some local trails and cycle routes show up on Ordnance Survey maps, others don't, for instance there is a stretch from St Abbs to Fast Castle which is completely ignored by maps.

"We felt it was important that both locals and tourists were familiar with everything the area has to offer. It's true wherever you go that people don't always know an awful lot about where they actually live.
"People go on trips further afield all the time but don't always take the time to learn more about their own surroundings so miss out on a lot of interesting things."

And as well as routes for people to explore both on two feet and wheels, 'Round Eyemouth' also turns back the clock to delve into the history of the locations it recommends to readers.

Alan said he felt it was important that there was this element to the book as he believed that like him, most people would prefer to know a bit about the places they visit, rather than just walking through them completely clueless.

He continued: "Maps are great for helping you get from place to place and finding your way around familiar territory but they don't tell you about the places you encounter on your journey.

"There was a lot Oliver and I didn't know about the area but Peter Aitchison's 'Black Friday' helped a great deal as it provided a cornerstone of local history and then we picked up a little bit of extra knowledge every time we visted places like Paxton House and Manderston."

Those two locations are examples of Berwickshire's proud heritage, but Alan and Oliver also weren't afraid to bring to life some of the more sinister goings on from the region's past.

"'Round Eyemouth' isn't meant to be a comprehensive history of Berwickshire and Northumberland," Alan continued.

"And because of this we wanted to highlight the more interesting stories such as the smuggling that went on in the Eyemouth area as well as all the women who were burned at the stake after being accused of being witches and the grave robbing that took place in years gone by.

"On a sadder note there is also of course the Eyemouth Fishing Disaster, which had a massive effect on the whole area. I'm sure locals already know a lot about the events of 1881 but it's something that we couldn't ignore."

The disaster had a lasting impact for fishing communities in particular, and as a former local editor of 'Fishing News', Alan was able to use his contacts to gain a real insight into how the industry coped in the aftermath of the disaster and how valuable fishing still is to Eyemouth and the surrounding area.

"My own connection to the fishing community helped a fair bit to get people on board to share their own stories," Alan added.

"Talking to fishermen and ex-fishermen and getting quotes from them helped the book come alive. As both myself and Oliver live in Eyemouth we wanted to focus mainly on Eyemouth and Coldingham and give plenty of colour to our descriptions.

"Alnmouth to Dunbar is quite a vast area to cover and while working on the book both of us had other jobs so it became something of a labour of love.

"Oliver learnt a lot about map-making along the way and all the maps were compiled through our own discoveries with a GPS device.

"Doing things this way we almost felt like pioneers ourselves. We live in Acredale so we're not exactly in a remote location but there are times when I'll cycle along the back road to Coldingham and not see anyone else."

Alan and Oliver's aim for 'Round Eyemouth' to bring together "a rich mix of history and places worth visiting" for locals as well as tourists is well on its way to being achieved as 150 copies have already been sold in the Eyemouth area alone.

And the venture is entirely local, with the book published by Alan's own company, Enabler Publications.

The firm started out in Burnmouth over 30 years ago, and after operating in Dorset and Devon, is now back in Berwickshire.

'Round Eyemouth: A Guide for visitors and locals' is available from the Post Office, Filling Station, Maritime Museum and Crossing The Bar in Eyemouth; The New Inn in Coldingham and WHSmith and Grieves in Berwick.
It is priced at £7.99 and also available from www.enablerpublications.co.uk.