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

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.

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.

Did you know