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Newhaven lighthouse and harbour wall in the evening sun.
Edinburgh

Newhaven

The old fishing harbour between Leith and Granton, once James IV's royal dockyard, with its cast-iron lighthouse of 1869 on the breakwater.

Welcome

Between Leith and Granton, a stone harbour with a lighthouse on its breakwater was home to a whole fishing community.

Newhaven's fishing families moved here from busier Leith in the 1480s, and within a few years King James IV had built a royal dockyard on the shore. The Great Michael, perhaps the largest warship in Europe, was launched from it in 1511.

After the king's defeat at Flodden, Newhaven went back to the sea as a fishing village. Its boats worked the oyster beds of the Forth and ran the ferries to Fife, and its Society of Free Fishermen, formed in 1572, is one of the oldest friendly societies in Scotland. The Newhaven fishwives, in their distinctive dress with creels on their backs, became famous across the country.

The cast-iron lighthouse of 1869 still stands at the end of the breakwater. The old fish market is a restaurant now, and the tram brings visitors straight from the city.

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The Daily for 14 November, from Scotland with love. A red kayak beached on a loch shore beneath sunlit rocky hills, Sutherland
Close byAlby'sA sandwich shop on the edge of Leith, serving big hot sandwiches on squares of focaccia in a mid-century room that was once the Snax Cafe.2 min by roadSee itAlby's

Before you go

The harbour is open to walk round at any time, out along the breakwater to the lighthouse.

The trams now run to Newhaven from the city centre.

Where
Pier Place, Newhaven, Edinburgh EH6 4LP.

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Where it is

On the shore of the Forth between Leith and Granton, north of the city centre.

Close byLeith and the waterfront.
  1. Inside Norah in Newhaven: a round wooden table laid for lunch under a pleated paper lamp, with the coffee machine and shelves of cups behind.NorahUnder a mile as the crow flies
  2. Milk at Edinburgh Sculpture WorkshopMilk at Edinburgh Sculpture WorkshopA licensed café between the two buildings of Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop in Newhaven, on the cycle path, with tables inside and out.Under a mile 1 min by road
  3. Water of Leith winding through Dean Village's stone tenements and old mill buildingsWater of LeithThe river that runs through the city to the sea at Leith.Under a mile 3 min by road
  4. Royal Yacht BritanniaRoyal Yacht BritanniaThe Royal Yacht Britannia, berthed at Ocean Terminal in Leith.1 mile 3 min by road
  5. Friends chat round a candlelit table beneath a "Guest Keg" chalkboard menuTeuchters LandingA pub on the Shore at Leith, in an old ferry waiting room.1 mile 3 min by road
Directions
The purple corner front of Sabzi at 162 Ferry Road, signed Home Cooking and Punjabi Street Food, with benches and pink planters on the pavement.RestaurantsSabzi0.6 miles
Green-fronted shopfront reading "Big Hot Sandwiches" beside a weathered white tenement buildingCafeAlby's0.7 miles
A Greek salad topped with a slab of feta beside a grilled octopus tentacle on a wooden table at Kafeneion to Steki.RestaurantsKafeneion to Steki0.8 miles
The narrow dining room at Dùthchas, with deep green walls, wooden tables, tartan throws on the chairs and a bar at the back.RestaurantsDùthchas0.9 miles
The coffee counter at Carter Coffee, with a grinder and a brewer on the back bench and a plant by the window.CafeCarter Coffee0.9 miles
The dining room at The Kitchin, with grey stone walls, dark beams and blue-green chairs at tables laid for dinner.RestaurantsThe Kitchin0.9 miles
The room at Ardfern in Leith in afternoon light, with a wall of wine bottles behind the bar, leather banquettes and wooden tables.RestaurantsArdfern1.0 miles
The dining room of The Little Chartroom on Bonnington Road by candlelight, with chefs at work in the open kitchen beyond the tables.RestaurantsThe Little Chartroom1.0 miles
The dark painted front of DogStar on Portland Place in the evening, its name on the lit window.RestaurantsDogStar1.0 miles

Recommend to a friend

Stay nearby

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

A hotel studio room with a beige fitted kitchen unit and stainless sink beside a bed dressed in white and teal cushions, a wall of black-framed pictures above a patterned headboard.Old Town Chambers
  • To stay
  • In Edinburgh
  • 2 miles from Newhaven
Check datesA 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 Newhaven
Check datesWest End Muse
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Edinburgh
  • 2 miles from Newhaven
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 Newhaven
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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