LET’S MOVE TO North Berwick

This small harbourside town, with two sandy bays and a rugged volcanic hill as its backdrop, stares dramatically out across the Firth of Forth to the great North Sea. But arguably its most enchanting sight is the bright-eyed baby puffins, or pufflings, that get stranded in front gardens and car parks during fledgling season in the summer months. Experts at the Scottish Seabird Centre come to their aid, returning them offshore to the Isle of May, home to a ‘circus’ of 90,000 puffins. Gannets, guillemots, dolphins and even whales are other local wildlife riches. As one resident says, ‘We’re close to Edinburgh, but it feels like a world away.’

The architecture is picture-book – sandstone facades with pantile roofs interspersed with fishermen’s cottages. But beachside living costs a pretty penny