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Tenement buildings along Leith's Shore are mirrored in the still water of the Water of Leith at dawn.
Edinburgh

Leith Shore

The old quayside of Leith along the mouth of the Water of Leith, where Mary Queen of Scots and George IV came ashore, now lined with bars and restaurants.

Welcome

Where the Water of Leith makes its last slow bend before the docks, the old tenements and warehouses of the Shore line both banks, and on a still morning every one of them is mirrored in the water.

Houseboats lie moored along the quay below a clock tower and the lettered front of George Brown and Sons.

This was once the working quay of a port town, and the buildings still carry its story, but today the Shore is where Leith comes to eat and drink. Seafood restaurants, old bars and small cafés sit side by side along the cobbles, many with tables out by the river when the weather allows. Come early for the reflections and the quiet, or late, when the lights come on along the water and the Shore fills up for the evening.

Before you go

The Shore is a public quayside, open at every hour, with bars, cafés and restaurants along both banks of the river.

Where
At the mouth of the Water of Leith, in Leith, north of the city centre.

Did you know

Tenement buildings along Leith's Shore are mirrored in the still water of the Water of Leith at dawn.
Did you know

The first king in 170 years.

George IV landed on the Shore on 15 August 1822, the first reigning monarch to visit Scotland in more than 170 years.

Houseboats are moored below a clock tower and the 'George Brown & Sons' building on Leith's waterfront, reflected in still water.
Did you know

Walter Scott's choice.

Sir Walter Scott ran the royal visit. He chose Leith over the deeper harbour at Newhaven for its royal past, above all the landing of Mary Queen of Scots in 1561, so the king came ashore from smaller barges.

A row of Leith's waterfront buildings, including a cafe, is reflected in the calm water of the Shore.
Did you know

Crowds on the drawbridge.

Some 300,000 people are thought to have turned out across Leith and Edinburgh for the king. Pictures of the day show crowds perched on the raised drawbridge over the harbour.

Tenement buildings along the Shore in Leith are mirrored in the still water below.
Did you know

A tavern then, and now.

A print of the landing shows the Old Ship Tavern on the Shore, on the spot where The Ship on the Shore stands today.

Tenement buildings along Leith's Shore are mirrored in the still water of the Water of Leith at dawn.
Did you know

A day too stormy.

The landing was set for 14 August, but although the royal yacht reached Inchkeith, the sea was thought too rough to bring the king ashore, and he landed a day late.

Houseboats are moored below a clock tower and the 'George Brown & Sons' building on Leith's waterfront, reflected in still water.
Did you know

Turner was here.

J.M.W. Turner came to Scotland for the royal visit and sketched the king's landing at Leith.

A row of Leith's waterfront buildings, including a cafe, is reflected in the calm water of the Shore.
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Where it is

At the mouth of the Water of Leith, where the river meets the docks, in Leith.

Close byThe places nearest the Shore, in Leith.
  1. Restaurant Martin Wishart's white frontage with large paned windows on Leith's waterfrontRestaurant Martin WishartA French restaurant with a Michelin star, on the harbourside.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. NoblesNoblesA family-owned Victorian bar with gastropub food.Under a mile 2 min by road
  3. Friends chat round a candlelit table beneath a "Guest Keg" chalkboard menuTeuchters LandingA bar in the old waiting room for the Aberdeen steamer.Under a mile 2 min by road
  4. Royal Yacht BritanniaRoyal Yacht BritanniaThe royal yacht of 1953, now open to see at Ocean Terminal.Under a mile 4 min by road
  5. The Scotch Malt Whisky Society - The VaultsThe Scotch Malt Whisky Society - The VaultsThe whisky society's members' rooms in an old Leith townhouse.1 mile 5 min by road
  6. Mimi's shopfront with award chalkboards for Scottish Bakery and Café of the YearMimi's BakehouseA family-run bakery known for its cakes.1 mile 6 min by road
Directions
Stone townhouse with sash windows and dark green door on Custom WharfShoppingBard0.3 miles
Fairy lights strung above a cobbled courtyard with wooden benches and stone buildingsCafeWilliams & Johnson Coffee Co0.3 miles
Petrucciolis Coffee shopfront with chalkboard menus and outdoor café tablesCafePrintworks Coffee0.3 miles
Hideout Cafe frontage with folding chairs beside its shuttered windowCafeHideout Cafe0.3 miles
Sandstone tenement building on a corner, with Toast shopfront belowCafeToast0.5 miles
Sunlit table set for two beside a leather booth and windowRestaurantsRoseleaf Bar Café0.5 miles
Green-fronted shopfront reading "Big Hot Sandwiches" beside a weathered white tenement buildingCafeAlby's0.7 miles
Wooden tables and chairs beside large windows in a dark-panelled caféRestaurantsThe Lioness of Leith0.8 miles
Water of Leith winding through Dean Village's stone tenements and old mill buildingsAttractionsWater of Leith0.9 miles
The Daily for 20 October, from Scotland with love. The broken stone walls of a lochside castle rise from a small tree-covered island, autumn foliage glowing orange against the dark water and forested hillside beyond.

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the Shore, and when each is next free.

A round table and chairs stand before tall curtained windows looking onto stone buildings, a sofa and mounted television to the right.Moment George IV Bridge
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Edinburgh
  • 2 miles from the Shore
Check datesWest End Muse
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Edinburgh
  • 3 miles from the Shore
Check datesA turreted sandstone building with conical spires catches the evening light above rooftops, a large pine tree standing beside it.The Scott Hotel
  • A hotel
  • In Edinburgh
  • 3 miles from the Shore
Check datesClermount Cottage, EdinburghClermount Cottage
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Penicuik
  • 11 miles from the Shore
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in EdinburghAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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