Urban Walk

[Bob Jefferson]

A friend drew my attention to Roger Smith's Urban Walk series in the Herald, which recently featured a walk in Portobello. Roger was kind enough to send me a copy of the original text:

Hi Bob

Thanks for your email. I very much enjoyed my visit to Portobello and hope to be back soon. Nice coffee in the baths cafe - good for a cold day!

Meanwhile I am attaching the walk text. This differs slightly from the published version as there is always some editing by the Herald. Please feel free to use this text. (The '111' by the way is the numerical order. I started this series in Oct 2003 and will keep going as long as they let me!)

Perhaps you could say 'an edited version of this text appeared as the weekly Urban Walk in the Weekend Living section of The Herald on 31 December 2005'. That would keep the paper happy as well.

If you get any more feedback, perhaps you could let me know.

Best wishes for 2006,

Roger Smith

Distance: 3km (2 miles) circular.
Start and finish: Bridge Street car park, off Portobello High Street.
Terrain and access: Pavement and good paths. This walk is suitable for wheelchairs.
Public transport: Regular bus services from Edinburgh.
Refreshments: Reasonable choice in the town.
Toilets: Promenade, and Bath Street.


What better way to start the New Year than a bracing walk by the sea followed by a wander round this very interesting town.

From the car park, walk down the road and curve right past the bottle kilns. The last remaining examples of their kind in Scotland, they are a reminder of the potteries which flourished here for 200 years from 1770. Each kiln could hold 30,000 pots.

Go down Pipe Lane and turn right along the Promenade to enjoy the extensive views across the Firth of Forth. There is a fine sandy beach. At the second right, note the 18th century Portobello Tower.

Pass the Prince of Wales Fountain, erected 1870 and named for the future Edward VII, a frequent visitor here. Next reach the ornate Baths. Opened in 1901 and including Turkish as well as ordinary baths, they have been beautifully refurbished at a cost of £4.5m. It’s worth going inside – the café has great views over the Firth.

As you walk along, reflect that Portobello was once a popular holiday resort. It had a 400-yard long pier designed by Thomas Bouch, the longest platform of any suburban station in Scotland, and a big open-air pool. All these have gone. There were even oyster beds here.

Where the Promenade narrows, turn right on Morton Street and right again on Joppa Road, past St Philip’s with its tall spire. Enter Abercorn Park to read the touching dedication to Dr Hugh Dewar on the fountain.

Turn right on Bellfield Street to the Old Parish Church, an 1809 design by William Sibbald (tower added 1839). Return to the main road, cross and turn left on Hope Lane North. Turn right on Windsor Place and at the garage, fork left on the narrow Christian Path, which once marked the parish boundary.

Follow the path through to Brighton Place and turn right. This is a typical street of villas from the time when Portobello flourished as a resort. Go right on East Brighton Crescent then left into the park to pass the intriguing sundial with four faces. Ahead is the striking St John’s Church (1906, J.T.Walford), an unusual design with five spires.

Rejoin Brighton Place and at the main road, turn left past the Town Hall. It was built in 1912 as one of the conditions of Portobello becoming part of Edinburgh. Portobello took its name from an obscure 1724 battle in the Caribbean. A survivor, George Hamilton, settled here, built a house where the Town Hall now stands, and called it the Portobello Hut.

Follow the High Street, which has interesting shops, back to Bridge Street and turn right. The first house on the left was the birthplace in 1870 of the great entertainer Sir Harry Lauder. The car park is a few steps further on.

You can email Roger at roger.smithwalk@blueyonder.co.uk