Gullane's black rocks, then cake

In the gentle world of East Lothian, it is easy to make a trip to the beach stretch out the way the sun laps from the dunes to the shore in the late afternoon.

Be as lazy or adventurous as you like, running or rambling from the carpark in Gullane down to the beach, where you start the lingering trek towards the distant black rocks.

The day is that combination of chilled breeze and the coin-sized orbs of warmth against your cheeks and your eyelids.

Follow the trail from the beach, over the rocks and up into the dunes, past the ruins of a small chapel whose parishioners worshiped here 500 years ago. Today a golf course extends inland not far away, but the waves that roll against the sand below sound the same as they did then.

Walk as far as you like, all the way out to Yellowcraig if the spirit moves you. Or stop and sit for awhile before deciding that the afternoon just wouldn’t be complete without an enormous piece of cake and a comforting cup of milky coffee.

Sun, sand, vistas, shells, cake. The perfect afternoon out.