Portobello Beach – Sandcastles, Then Hot Chocolate on the Prom
A few hours.
The route
Portobello is Edinburgh's own seaside, a long beach of golden sand below a Victorian promenade, and young children love it in any season.
Bring buckets and spades for a morning of sandcastles and paddling, then warm up with a hot chocolate and cake at the Beach House on the prom. It's an easy, cheap morning out for families with little ones.
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
Portobello
It's a morning on the sand. Dig, paddle and run about for an hour or two, then it's a few steps up to the promenade for something warm.
About two hours
Portobello Beach
An attraction
There's no car park by Portobello Beach: park in the side streets near the foot of Bath Street, where spaces are hard to find on a sunny weekend. The sand is wide and the water shelves gently, so it's good for paddling, but there's no lifeguard: stay with the children at the water's edge. The public toilets at the foot of Bath Street open from 10am.
The Beach House, Portobello
A drink
The Beach House stands on the prom at the foot of Bath Street, a few steps up from the sand, and it's open every day from 8am to 5pm. Order a hot chocolate and a slice of cake from its own bakery in Leith, and sit inside or out. It's good for children, and its entrance is wheelchair accessible. If it's full, Oscar's kiosk on the prom makes its own gelato and usually opens from 10am to 5pm, so check its hours before a winter visit.
If it rains
On a wet morning, skip the sand and go straight to the Beach House, which has tables indoors, and watch the sea from the window.
Worth a detour
- Duddingston Loch
Duddingston Loch lies below the south-east side of Arthur's Seat, a short drive west of Portobello, and children can look for the swans on the water. There's a little parking in Duddingston village, by the Sheep Heid Inn, and it fills quickly at weekends.
