The Dolphin Inn, Dunbar - East Lothian

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Dunbar, Scotland
The Dolphin Inn, Dunbar - East Lothian

Independent hostel with eleven rooms offering a mix of double, single, bunk and family rooms.

06/09/2026

After the whirlwind of the peak summer season we are easing ourselves into the slightly calmer days of autumn. The schools have started back and we are now enjoying a different pace at the Dolphin Inn. It's such a beautiful time of year, the temperatures are still really pleasant, sunrise and sunset occur at more sociable hours, the water is at its warmest and all the attractions and activity providers are still open - and much less busy.

Dunbar is such a wonderful base for walking and cycling but we are also incredibly lucky to have a great variety of activity providers for those who want to have some different experiences. Visit Scotland's oldest brewery, our High Street, harbours and the John Muir' Museum, upcoming music (Sept) and art (Oct) festivals. Dunbar's website "ourdunbar.com" has all the information you need.

18/08/2026

One of my favourite finds. An original 1980s Pepsi phone, the dial is on the base of the phone and we used this for our landline until very recently. I even did a serious BBC radio interview using it which was quite ironic considering I was holding a can to my ear. It is now gracefully retired to the Dolphin where it keeps this vintage phone guide company.

11/08/2026

This one if for those of you with the fondest of memories of the Dolphin Inn from its time as (arguably) THE bar in Dunbar. This beautifully framed picture was dropped in recently, a much appreciated gift and reminder of the many local fans the bar had through the years. The bar finally closed in March 2013 and then lay empty for six years before we bought it. The yellow bar shelving was still here when we viewed it, although much less vibrant than shown in this picture.

The original picture is still available to see in the Town House and is cared for by the History Society. Thanks to Sandy R for this lovely gift.

04/08/2026

After posting recently about my retro matchbox find I decided to see if I could get matchboxes printed for the Dolphin Inn and here they are. I bought 100 and plan to hand them out to folks in Dunbar as soon as I have a chance. They sit alongside the newly updated Map of Dunbar & West Barns and our free postcards that are ever popular. We're super busy here for the summer and are loving meeting lots of new guests and hearing all about their travels and adventures.

01/07/2026

We cannot believe the Dolphin Inn has been open for 5 years today. Where did all that time go? So many guests over the years (many returning regularly), so many fabulous reviews and kind words. We have stuck to the format we opened with, a self catering hostel with a unique, relaxing and beautiful interior and lots of helpful little touches.

We have the most wonderful staff who don't get nearly enough credit for all they do - thank you, thank you! As we always say, we are lucky to be located in such a brilliant town, what a place (!) and in such a supportive business community. Thanks to everyone for all the lovely reviews, for recommending us and sharing all your travel tales and adventures with us.

19/06/2026

Great to see Markus Seitz's new book which includes an awesome 75km route that starts at either East Linton or Dunbar railway station and heads up to the plateaus of the Lammermuir Hills via Whiteadder Reservoir. In the intro paragraph he writes, "with no other route in this book do I have such a strong personal connection". The Lammermuirs were where he spent the first night of his incredible 34,000 km world tour. Markus was also an early visitor to the Dolphin, when we were just finding our feet, and kindly mentions the hostel in this book (thank you). Available from adventurebooks.com

16/06/2026

Who remembers when businesses, especially in hospitality, used to hand out free matchboxes like mini adverts? I was in an antique shop recently and stumbled upon three enormous boxes of them and spent a good hour raking through and picked this selection for framing. What a cool bit of history and a lovely throwback, it is still possible to get these made - watch this space...... our fifth anniversary is coming up!

05/06/2026

Breeze, the "Dolphin dog" just showing us all how it is done.

We are always receptive to collaborating with local businesses to support their accommodation needs and one of our best yet was the recent collab with The Yoga Den in East Linton.

Simply Flow, a women's yoga & surf retreat held in Dunbar last week end was a beautiful and energising few days. Loved having you all stay with us.

Caroline's next yoga retreat is in Portugal in October. Head to her website / socials to find out more .

Next up for us is hosting the competitors for the European Land Art Festival, another great bunch of folks 14 - 19 July, programme details now available.

27/05/2026

A current guest who remembers the Dolphin Inn from its pub days loves this sign that we saved during the renovation. Just look at those prices from 2013, sure it brings back a lot of good memories for many people in the town. Sadly no bar now but we love all the memorabilia that we managed to save and find a place for. It seems important somehow to keep hold of these things and make sure that we don't sweep away history.

20/05/2026

What a lovely thank you note and sweet flowers.

We have a lot of "whole hires" where groups book out the hostel for a few days. Usually these are family gatherings or wedding parties and the hostel provides a welcoming home from home experience where people can hang out together in a relaxing self catered space. We have 27 beds spread over 10 rooms, suitable for all ages (although all our rooms are upstairs so not fully accessible). We also can provide accommodation for events with our first yoga retreat taking place at the end of May (with The Yoga Den) and the ELAF* crew are back for a week in July for their 6th year.

* European Land Art Festival

Address

2 Queens Road
Dunbar
EH421JZ

Telephone

+441368868427

Website

http://www.dolphindunbar.com/

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