SO, YOU'VE been taking in the rays at Yellowcraigs on the hottest Bank Holiday in living memory. You've had a game of cricket on the beach, had a bit of a paddle, played tig in the woods (okay, the adults sat that one out) and now you're in search of
something a little more refreshing than a Mr Softee and bottle of Irn-Bru.
A hop, skip and a jump away from East Lothian's loveliest beach is the beautiful village of Dirleton, all leaded windows, daisy-covered village green and well-tended window boxes.
And where better to take the weight off than the hostelry in which Brigitte Bardot chose to lay her pretty little head when she was filming at nearby Tantallon Castle in the 1960s?
Pretty as a picture, the Open Arms is not strictly a bar, more a restaurant/brasserie/hotel, but there are benches outside in the sun, a profusion of pansies that attract the plumpest of bumblebees and beer on tap.
Inside, the brasserie is a take on French provincial décor – white walls, wooden tables, blue glassware – but as we have sandy children in tow, the small outside area is just the ticket.
We are tempted to snack – the brasserie's famous fishcakes smell good, or maybe grilled sea bass with coriander salsa – but somehow it doesn't seem right. The rules state that, after a day at the beach, greasy fish and chips must be consumed, with fingers, from a newspaper. So, suitably fortified, it's on to Aberlady… and the longest fish-and-chip queue on record. Wish we'd gone for the sea bass after all.
What to drink Diet Coke for the driver, Belhaven Best for the navigator and hot chocolate for the paddler with the soggy shorts.
• The Open Arms, Main Street, Dirleton, East Lothian (01620 850 570)
The full article contains 313 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
