Day 2: Edinburgh – Leith & Cramond

On By Little Miss TravellerIn Edinburgh, Scotland, Scotland by Train 2021, United Kingdom

We began the day with a walk around some of the buildings of the University of Edinburgh starting at the Old College quad located on South Bridge.  It was an overcast morning but the sight of the historic buildings housing the School of Law and the Talbot Rice Gallery surrounding the quad lifted our spirits.

Old College, University of Edinburgh
Old College, University of Edinburgh

From there, we continued on to the main campus where we admired the elegant McEwan Hall in Bristo Square.  It’s a magnificent ceremonial hall and we have fond memories of attending a family graduation ceremony there not so long ago.  At right angles to the hall stands another fine building, that of Teviot Row House which is the oldest student union building in the world, having been open since 1889.

McEwan Hall, University of Edinburgh
McEwan Hall, University of Edinburgh

It was approaching the time for our pre-arranged entry to the National Museum of Scotland on nearby Chambers Street near the George V Bridge.  Entrance is free to this ‘must see’ museum with its grand central hall of cast iron construction that rises up to the full height of this light filled building.

National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh
National Museum of Scotland

This vast museum’s galleries cover Scottish antiquities, history, science, technology, geology, archaeology and natural history.  One of the most notable exhibits is the stuffed body of Dolly the Sheep, the first successful cloning of a mammal from an adult cell.

The National Museum of Scotland, Transport Hall
The Transport Hall

Exhibits also include a 19th century lighthouse lens and a display of historic aircraft and vehicles in the Transport Hall.  It’s a wonderful museum and a perfect place to travel back in time through Scottish history.

The Grand Hall, National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh
The Grand Hall

On leaving the museum it was just a quick walk around the corner to take a look at the statue of Greyfriars Bobby on Candlemaker Row.

Greyfriars Bobby, Edinburgh
Greyfriars Bobby, Edinburgh

This Skye Terrier became known for spending 14 years guarding the grave of his owner until his death in 1872.  The best known version of the story is that Bobby belonged to John Gray who worked for the police as a night watchman.  When his master died and was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard he spent the rest of his live at his master’s side.

The Almond River Walkway, Cramond
Walking along the Almond River Walkway

We then caught a No.41 bus from along the road to take us to the pretty village of Cramond (£4.50 for an all day ticket on Lothian Buses).  Cramond lies on the south shore of the River Forth, four miles north west of the city centre.  We alighted the bus near Four-a-Far Mill so that we could walk into the village centre along the Almond River Walkway.

Boats at Cramond harbour,
Boats moored at Cramond harbour

This attractive riverside walk follows the course of the River Almond through woodland glades, passing the Cramond Boat Club and along to the pretty little harbour at the mouth of the river.  The harbour is home to a number of yachts and the Cramond Inn where we had hoped to have lunch, but it was unfortunately closed.

The village cafe, Cramond Bistro
The village cafe

The village is full of old world charm with its white washed cottages along the quayside and in the nicest possible way, it doesn’t look as if it has changed much over the years.

The path leading to Cramond Island causeway
The path leading to Cramond Island causeway

If the tide is out it’s possible to walk out along the causeway to Cramond Island, a tidal island on the Firth of Forth.  There is a notice-board on the quayside stating the times when it may safely be crossed to avoid becoming stranded on the island by the incoming tide.  On the day of our visit the accessible times were 6.20 a.m. or during the evening so we were out of luck, but we did walk out along the jetty as far as we could to see the causeway submerged in water.

The submerged causeway to Cramond Island
The submerged causeway to Cramond Island

The imposing concrete teeth alongside the length of the causeway are military in origin and intended to ensure that small boats could not pass south of the island at high tide.  The island is just over a third of a mile long and is owned by the Dalmeny Estate, although it remains uninhabited.

The Cramond Inn, Edinburgh
The Cramond Inn

We wandered uphill to the edge of the village passing Cramond Kirk on our left and returned to the city centre from a bus stop on the main road.  As the bus was going via The Meadows we decided to get off there and take a walk through Bruntsfield, one of the Edinburgh districts made famous through the 44 Scotland Street books by Alexander McCall Smith, of which I’m a great fan.

Bruntsfield, Edinburgh
Bruntsfield, Edinburgh

Our stroll took us across Bruntsfield Links which is one of Scotland’s very few free public golf courses.  The immaculately maintained course has a backdrop of the volcanic Arthur’s Seat hilltop and an attractive setting for a round of golf.

Bruntsfield Links Golf Tavern Edinburgh
Bruntsfield Links Golf Tavern

Visitors can either bring their own clubs with them or rent a set for £5 from the Golf Tavern overlooking the course.  The course is currently closed so it’s best to check their website if you are thinking of having a game.

Newhaven Harbour, Edinburgh
Newhaven Harbour,

After returning to the Altido Vita aparthotel for a well earned rest, we made good use of our Lothian bus day tickets and ventured out again, this time to the historic harbour village of Newhaven which lies approximately two miles north of the city centre.  It’s a very pretty spot and perfect for an early evening stroll with its tall white lighthouse, which is no longer in use.

Newhaven Fish Market, Edinburgh
Newhaven Fish Market

Overlooking the small harbour is the old Victorian Fish Market, a long red building at the side of the harbour which has now been converted into a smaller fish market, a Loch Fyne restaurant and a takeaway which has terrace seating to enjoy freshly cooked fish and chips.

Newhaven, Edinburgh
Newhaven, Edinburgh

Work is ongoing to build a new tramline due to open in 2023 of which Newhaven will be the terminus station, connecting to the existing line into the city centre.  This will make the village easier to reach and should benefit the local businesses enormously.

Edinburgh
Leith

From there we continued on foot to the scenic Leith waterfront with its mix of small independent shops, micro-breweries and restaurants.  Leith was one of Scotland’s major ports and historically a place of industry from glass production to ship building.  When Scotland no longer needed the port, Leith started to go downhill but in recent years it has been on the rise and has now become a vibrant part of the city and even been described as Edinburgh’s coolest neighbourhood.

Leith waterfront, Edinburgh
Leith waterfront

The promenade known as The Shore, has its own charm and is a great place to relax at one of its restaurants or gastropubs, especially when the weather’s good and it’s possible to eat out on one of the terraces enjoying the stunning views across to Fife.  As with its neighbour Newhaven, Leith will be so much easier to reach from the city centre once the tram line is complete rather than having to catch a bus or face a lengthy walk.  We ate in one of the local pubs and settled on the Scottish delicacy of haggis, neeps and tatties (swede and potatoes to the uninitiated), served with whisky sauce which was very tasty.

 

If you have enjoyed reading this post you may also like:

Visiting the National Mining Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh

The Royal Mile, Edinburgh

 

If you use Pinterest please consider sharing and pinning the image below:

Edinburgh - Leith & Cramond

 

Advertisement

48 thoughts on “Day 2: Edinburgh – Leith & Cramond”

  2. ThingsHelenLoves

    I once heard someone comment about Edinburgh that no matter how many times you visit, you never see the same city twice. And I think they were right, it’s a fabulous place. The tram line is really going to be a boost, to locals and visitors alike.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  7. I agree with you, modern trams combined with unlimited pass systems make it easier to go outside the city centres to lesser known but often more typical destinations that the visitor enjoys discovering. Greqt thqnks for the interesting presentation.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  8. How exciting! My niece’s husband is doing his PhD through this university. At the moment he is back in Australia taking a break so I’ll send a copy of the link so he and my niece can enjoy this one as it will be very familiar territory.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  11. Another beautiful tour of Edinburgh! I haven’t visited this part of the city, but it looks to be a calmer and more-residential area than the busier, touristy part of town. I appreciate you sharing another side of the Scottish capital!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  14. Another beautiful tour of such a beautiful city. I really love the Cramond Inn- how lovely! How disappointing though that it was closed. I think a walk along that causeway with a stop at the inn for lunch would be so great. So happy to be following along on your visit to Edinburgh 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  15. Great post and fantastic photos, Marion. The scenic Leith waterfront is one of my favourite places as I used to live there for a year. It was a bit rough back then but has come a long way in the past decade. The Water of Leith Walkway is a popular walking and cycling route and the many colourful boats and tree-lined walways make it feel as though you’ve left the city ☺️☺️ thanks for sharing and have a lovely day ☺️ Aiva xx

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I’ve not walked the entire Water of Leith walkway but hope to do sometime. We did a short stretch from Stockbridge to Inverleith which I’ll be touching on in a later post. Hope the sun is shining in Sligo and you have a lovely weekend Aiva. Marion

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  16. Great post Marion. So many places we did visit in 2008 and so many we did not. Cramond looks lovely as does Bruntsfield and Newhaven. We visited an elderly 2nd cousin in Leith when we there in 2008. She knew my Mom from when she was trapped in Scotland by the WWII naval blockade, so it was good to hear those stories. Thanks for sharing. Allan

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  17. I’ve been across the causeway to Cramond Island (we were fortunate that the tide times at Easter weren’t so early in the morning/late in the evening), but I haven’t been along the Almond River Walkway – thanks for the recommendation and photos, Marion. If you ever go back to Newhaven, the fish and chips from The Fishmarket (at the far left of your photo, next to Loch Fyne) is delicious 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  18. Cramond Harbour looks beautiful. I’m glad the weather held and you were able to take a stroll along the river. That’s neat that you can walk along the causeway to Cramond Island during low tide. Thanks for sharing. Have a wonderful weekend. Linda

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  19. Wow, you’ve been quite busy exploring on this day! Those buildings at the University are just beautiful! And I’m sure a visit to the museum would be a great outing as well – love your photo of the planes! Oh yes, and a great photo of Bruntsfield.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.