Leith

Leith is Edinburgh’s port, and it has never quite accepted being part of Edinburgh. It was an independent town until 1920, and many Leithers will still tell you they’re from Leith, not Edinburgh. It’s grittier and more creative than the city centre, and it’s home to some of the best food in Scotland.

What’s Leith like?

For centuries Leith was one of Scotland’s busiest ports, trading with the rest of Europe. When the shipping declined, the area fell on hard times, but over the last few decades it’s been transformed. The old warehouses along the Shore are now restaurants and flats, Leith Walk is full of independent businesses, and the docks have new homes and the Ocean Terminal shopping centre.

Leith keeps its own character, though: proper pubs, a strong community and a creative, independent streak.

What to do

• Walk the Shore, where the Water of Leith meets the docks, especially at sunset.
• Visit the Royal Yacht Britannia, the late Queen’s former royal yacht, moored at Ocean Terminal.
• Explore Leith Walk, the long street running down from the city centre, full of cafés, bakeries and restaurants from all over the world.
• Walk Leith Links, a park where some of the earliest recorded rules of golf were drawn up in 1744.
• Follow the Water of Leith Walkway inland from the Shore, along the river through the north of the city.

Where to eat and drink

Leith is the best place to eat in Edinburgh. At the fine-dining end, Restaurant Martin Wishart, on the Shore, has held a Michelin star for 25 years, and The Kitchin, Tom Kitchin’s restaurant in a converted whisky warehouse on Commercial Quay, is one of the most celebrated restaurants in Scotland. Around them, the Shore and Leith Walk are full of seafood restaurants, pubs and relaxed neighbourhood places. See my guide to eating in Edinburgh.

A perfect day in Leith

1. Morning: Take the tram down Leith Walk, stopping for coffee and a pastry on the way.
2. Late morning: The Royal Yacht Britannia at Ocean Terminal.
3. Lunch: Seafood on the Shore. Many of Leith’s best restaurants do good-value set lunches.
4. Afternoon: Walk the Water of Leith Walkway inland, or stroll across Leith Links.
5. Evening: Back to the Shore for sunset and blue hour, then dinner.

Getting there

• By tram: the tram runs from the city centre down Leith Walk to Leith and on to Newhaven.
• On foot: walking the length of Leith Walk from the east end of Princes Street takes 30 to 40 minutes, and it’s a good way to see the area change as you go.

Good for

Food lovers, anyone who wants to see a more local side of the city, and good-value places to stay with a fast tram into the centre.