First post in a while, as we’ve been mainly visiting old haunts due to circumstances around our families. However, 8th May was an opportunity for a new walk along the coast from Musselburgh to Leith, before catching a train down to North Berwick.
The stretch of coastline from Musselburgh to Leith would be difficult to describe as picturesque, ( I know I am spoilt by coming from Cornwall) instead, in my opinion, it is a walk that offers an insight into lost industries, and the sad decline of busy coastal resorts with the lost of the industries that sustained them.
Walking through Portebello I joined the promenade, and even though I had read none of the history, you could easily picture an Edwardian scene of workers and office clerks enjoying their time off with a stroll along the beach front.
It was the unexpected find of some pottery kilns that gave hint at the lost wealth of the area, it turns out Portebello once had a factory creating industrial ceramics. https://portobelloheritagetrust.co.uk/pottery%20manufacture.htm Scaffolding around one of the stacks means the chimneys are being preserved, and hopefully further regeneration will come to the area.
A pause to admire the hill scape of Fife across the other side of the Forth gives a welcome contrast to the buildings, factory units and graffiti on the Portebello side.
From the promenade, I joined the road that leads down to the Leith harbour, and decided to walk around the coast path that swings around the large sewage works, and then the various industrial sites that clearly sit on top of previous industries. I didn’t have time to explore fully, but it is clear from the industrial archaeology that the site is full of history. The railway is still in situ down to the docks, though clearly not used, and though it required some clambering over gates, there is a path through to Bath road and the main harbour, which is being revitalised with new apartments and sea front businesses. With time doing what it does, I caught a tram up to the city centre, and then a train to North Berwick to catch up with the family.
On the next visit, I hope to explore the Leith a little more.
