Leith – Books, the River and the Shore to Granton
A few hours.
A morning suggested by Adam, owner of Argonaut Books
The route
Adam, who owns Argonaut Books at the foot of Leith Walk, calls his shop a perfect stopping-off point to plan the rest of your day, and this is the morning he suggests from it.
From there it's a bake next door at Krema, the Water of Leith down to the Shore and the shoreline west past Newhaven's harbour towards Granton.
Photograph: Argonaut Books, via Google
Suggested by
Adam
Owner of Argonaut Books
“Walking along the shoreline towards Granton rewards you with some of the best coastal views on the East Coast.”
His shop
Argonaut Books
A community bookshop and café at the foot of Leith Walk, in the old Leith Central station building, open since 2021 and a Scotland finalist for Independent Bookshop of the Year in 2026.
- Where
- 15-17 Leith Walk, Edinburgh, EH6 8LN, at the foot of the Walk.
- Open
- Monday to Friday 10am to 6pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am to 8pm. Open on Christmas Day and Boxing Day; closed for about ten days every January.
Known for
The books change from day to day.
The shop is small and the books it could stock are many, so the range changes as titles leave and new ones arrive, and there is always something you won’t have seen before.
It was started by veteran booksellers.
Argonaut Books was founded in 2021 by booksellers with long experience, to serve Leith, which it calls Scotland’s most densely populated neighbourhood.
It opens on Christmas Day.
Argonaut Books opens on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, and closes for about ten days every January.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
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The day
Leith
A morning in Leith that starts among the books at Argonaut, with a bake from Krema next door. The Water of Leith takes you down to the old quays of the Shore, and from there the shoreline runs west past Newhaven's harbour and lighthouse to Granton.
About three and a half hours
Argonaut Books
A shop
His pick
We’re a perfect stopping-off point to plan the rest of your day.
Start at Argonaut Books at 15-17 Leith Walk, in the old Leith Central station building at the foot of the Walk. It's a community bookshop and café, open since December 2021, and its shelves change from day to day as titles leave and new ones arrive. The café does coffee, tea and traybakes, to sit in or take away. It opens Monday to Friday from 10am to 6pm and on Saturday and Sunday until 8pm, and it's at ground level, with toilets.
Logan Malloch
A shop
His pick
Visit some of our fantastic neighbouring shops like Logan Malloch or Krema Bakehouse.
Two doors along at 13 Leith Walk, Logan Malloch is an independent gift shop opened in 2019 by Philip Logan and Brian Malloch, with prints, cards, books, plants and local makers' goods, most of them from Leith, Edinburgh and Scotland. It usually opens Monday to Saturday from 10.30am to 5.30pm and on Sunday from 11am to 5pm, with room inside for prams and wheelchairs.
Krema Bakehouse
Coffee and a bake
His pick
A few doors on at 21 Leith Walk, Krema Bakehouse bakes with its owners' Greek roots and a family pastry shop in Greece behind it. There are buns, brownies and brioche, the portokalopita made to a family recipe is the house favourite, and there are vegan and gluten-free bakes every day. It usually opens from 8am on weekdays and 9am at weekends, until 6pm.
14 min on foot
Water of Leith
An attraction
His pick
You can start walking the Water of Leith right round the corner.
From Krema it's about a 14-minute walk round to the Water of Leith at Coalie Park, a riverside park that was once a coal depot and railway yard. The river here is slow and still behind the docks, and it's one of the best stretches for birds: a pair of swans has nested here for years, and in winter cormorants and tufted ducks come in from the Forth. Follow the walkway downstream, about 8 minutes, to the Shore.
About 8 min on foot
Leith Shore
An attraction
The walkway ends on the Shore, Leith's old quayside, at the Victorian swing bridge. Mary Queen of Scots came ashore here in 1561, and George IV in 1822, the first reigning monarch to visit Scotland in more than 170 years. Look for the harpoon gun from Christian Salvesen's whaling ships among the quayside's memorials, and for the bars and restaurants along both banks.
27 min on foot
Newhaven
An attraction
From the Shore it's about a 27-minute walk west by the docks to Newhaven, the old fishing harbour where James IV had a royal dockyard by 1505 and launched the Great Michael in 1511. Its cast-iron lighthouse of 1869 stands on the breakwater. Adam's suggestion from here is the shoreline towards Granton: it's about a 17-minute walk west along the shore to Granton Harbour, looking out over the Firth of Forth, and the same back. Trams back to the city centre leave from Newhaven; check the times before you go.
If it rains
In rain, take longer over the books and the café at Argonaut. Adam's own answer for a wet day is Leith's pubs, and The Malt & Hops on the Shore, a single old-fashioned room with a real fire, usually opens every day from noon. The walk along the shore to Granton is open to the weather, so leave it for a dry day.
NewhavenNorahA restaurant
LeithSabziA restaurant
LeithBarry FishA restaurant
LeithKafeneion to StekiA restaurant
LeithChez BernardA bar
LeithMalt & HopsA bar
EdinburghWilliams & Johnson Coffee CoA café
EdinburghThe Lioness of LeithA restaurant
LeithThe KeelsonA bar
LeithBrown's of LeithA restaurant
EdinburghRestaurant Martin WishartA restaurant
EdinburghToastA caféMake it a weekend
More days out in Edinburgh.
Photographs by Argonaut Books, G Tan, Эмине Белялова, richard staff and Tru die via Google
Maps from OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors; heights from Mapzen's terrain tiles.