A dedicated path to the summit of North Berwick Law, to help manage erosion, has been mooted.

This follows evidence that popular walking routes to the top of the peak are causing erosion due to the large number of visitors.

North Berwick Law is a volcanic plug, left during the last glacial period.

It is a popular tourist destination with about 100,000 people visiting it in the last year alone.

These statistics are compiled thanks to the entry gates used to access the Law site that use sensor technology to track the amount of visitors each day.

While not all are climbing to the summit as it falls on the route of the John Muir Way, a large percentage are thought to visit the peak.

East Lothian Courier: North Berwick Law

The Law is also home to animals such as horses and sheep, but the council were clear that the erosion was being caused by "pedestrians not hooves".

Kenny Miller, chair of North Berwick Community Council, was aware of the potential benefits of the dedicated route but was wary of it becoming a potential eyesore. 

He said: "I can see that there might be a benefit to those with mobility issues, but the route would have to be chosen very carefully to avoid this being an eyesore.

"It would certainly be a logistical challenge, which would make it very expensive."

East Lothian Council officials have now confirmed that they have began looking into the possibility of a dedicated path that would limit the erosion created by visitors.

They stressed that this remains at the "early stages" but would likely cost large sums of money given the specialism of the works.

An East Lothian Council spokesperson said: "The Countryside Ranger is currently investigating the summit path with a view to improving it to manage the high visitor numbers and combat the erosion that is occurring through the heavy pedestrian footfall.

"The council archaeology department and Historic Environment Scotland both sit on the JLAG (Joint Laws Advisory Group) along with a number of others including NatureScot, North Berwick Community Council and the National Trust for Scotland and are in agreement as to the cause - pedestrian not hooves - and that investigation should take place for improvements.

"This is early days with a specialist detailed survey and scope of works requiring to be produced.

"Due to the specialism of the works we anticipate high costs and external funding sources will also be sought."