Key Facts about the Links

• Musselburgh Links lies to the east of Musselburgh. It is common land and was granted to the people of Musselburgh from time immemorial for recreation and leisure purposes.  It is land which for years Musselburgh people grazed their goats and geese. Land which their womenfolk would dry their washing and it was land where they would play football, practice archery and play the ancient game of golf.
• Regarded as one of the birth places of Golf. This unpretentious wisp of land has played a fundamental role in the growth, the expansion and the world-wide projection of the Royal and Ancient game of golf. It role is so important that we have a section of the web site devoted specifically to the Old Course(see The Old Course).
• In 1650 Oliver Cromwell took possession of Musselburgh and part of his army camped upon the Links.
• In the late eighteenth century the links were used for drilling and training the 2000 soldiers based in barracks on Linkfield Road.
• Horse racing has been held on the Links since 1816 when meetings were transferred from Leith Sands, near Edinburgh.
• Musselburgh Fair Day Races are held at Musselburgh Racecourse with the very best pacing and trotting horses from the U.K. and abroad coming to race.
• The Royal Company of Archers shoot annually over the Links for the Musselburgh Silver Arrow, which is reputed to be the oldest sporting trophy in the world still the subject of regular competition.
• The New Year Sprints have been held at the Links since 1999.
• Musselburgh Lagoons, at the mouth of the River Esk and along the north side of the Links, is now one of Scotland’s premier sites for birds and bird watchers. Musselburgh Lagoons are probably the best watched birding site in mainland Scotland. Part of the lagoons is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to the seabirds that use it as a nesting ground.
• The houses at Linkfield Road, many of which are Listed Buildings, were built by the Musselburgh Heritage Company in the late 1800’s with aim of creating a seaside resort like Brighton or Portobello. Now a conservation area abutting the racecourse, their splendid views of the Firth of Forth and Fife are to be ruined by the proposed floodlights.
• One of the most exciting features of Musselburgh links is the John Muir Way, named in honour of the internationally-renowned father of the conservation movement, born in Dunbar, East Lothian, in 1838. The route begins at Fisherrow harbour, Musselburgh, and proceeds along the coastal edge of the links to Morrison’s Haven between Levenhall and Prestonpans, before continuing eastwards.

You can find out more about the Links here.

Today Musselburgh Links and the adjacent Lagoons are enjoyed by both local residents and visitors from further afield. The walk along the seawall offers magnificent views over the Firth of Forth, with Fife to the north, the Edinburgh skyline to the west and East Lothian to the east. Children can play in the meadows or watch the model boats racing on the pond. Others just come to saviour a unique golfing experience or to enjoy the horse racing on the attractive meadows setting.

1983 and the proposal for a National Hunt Track

In 1983 an application was made for Musselburgh Racecourse to have a National Hunt track. This was strongly opposed by the Musselburgh Links Heritage Group on the grounds that it would destroy the third hole of the Old Course (Linkfield) and encroach upon a very narrow strip of land available for golf. Support was received from notable individuals such as Peter Alliss, the golf television commentator, Jack Nicklaus and Ben Crenshaw, of the outstanding American golfers.

It was the Director of Planning’s opinion that the historic significance of the golf course would not be diminished. This was not a view shared by many people in the town. A public meeting in the Brunton Theatre attracted the attendance of 500 people, the majority of whom were against the National Hunt Track. East Lothian Council also received 485 letters of objection.

However, despite all this opposition, the chairman of East Lothian Council, who was a racing enthusiast, ensured that the planning application was approved.