Quiet seaside suburb with sandy beach ‘just like the Caribbean’ and unique Victorian Turkish Baths
IT’S hard to believe, but there’s a side to Edinburgh that’s still under the radar.
While its castle, Royal Mile and Holyrood are year-round hotspots, three miles from the city centre you’ll find its quiet seaside suburb where time has stood still.
It’s called Portobello and the moment I step on to its beach, I realise we’ve all been missing out.
It’s a deep, two-mile stretch of blond, unblemished sand watched over by grey stone Georgian houses. Lapping on to its shores are the gentle waves of the Firth of Forth and it’s flanked by a promenade.
While others splash and dive in the water, I dip in a toe. Scotland isn’t known for its warm weather, after all. But it’s ambient; not cold.
Running parallel to the promenade is a High Street lined with cafes and book shops, the type where you can sip a latte or hide in a nook.
There’s even a butcher that specialises in award-winning haggis.
For now, however, I settle on a scoop of creamy homemade ice-cream from Oscar’s Gelato — the honeycomb flavour’s delicious.
My base is the Best Western Kings Manor Hotel, a 15-minute walk from the beach and convenient for exploring the Scottish capital’s coastline.
Locals call Portobello “Porty” and, after hiring an e-bike from Porty Energy I pedal ten miles west on a route which tracks the sea and a disused railway track.
It ends at the sleepy village of Cramond where fishing boats bob in a bijou marina.
Two hours of cycling makes for weary limbs, but once back in Porty I find the perfect remedy Scotland’s only public Victorian Turkish Baths.
Dare I brave the freezing dunk? After a little hesitation . . . yes.
Equally brave is ordering haggis fritters at Miros on the seafront afterwards. But they’re delicious, like miniature soft Cornish pasties, only tastier.
If you weren’t a haggis fan before, these should sway you.
Regular buses run from Edinburgh to Portobello but hiring a car makes it easier to explore parts of Scotland’s capital most visitors never reach, such as Craigmillar, the city’s “other” castle.
It’s only a mile or so away and is where Mary Queen of Scots used to stay.
Keeping suburbs to itself
Then there’s Newhailes Estate, a Scottish baronet’s stately home set in glorious grounds. It’s a National Trust time capsule. Everything’s exactly as it was in the early 1700s.
Next is the suburb of Leith. Not only can you taste whisky at the new distillery but the Royal Yacht Britannia is docked here — the 83rd and last yacht to be owned by the royal family.
You can sit in the captain’s seat, see where state banquets were held and peek at cabins where royalty slept.
Beds are all singles, including those in Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s sleeping quarters.
There’s only one double and that was at the request of King Charles when he married Diana.
The more I explore, the clearer it becomes that Edinburgh has been keeping its suburbs to itself.
Granted, Aberlady’s not officially still Edinburgh, but it’s only 15 miles east and has the UK’s first ever designated Nature Reserve.
If you trek a half hour across its grassy dunes, you’ll find a secluded beach of dreams: soft, golden and off the beaten path.
En route back to Portobello I enjoy one final treat, dinner at the Bonnie Badger, an award-winning ‘Best Restaurant with Rooms’ in the town of Gullane.
Ingredients are locally sourced, from the hand dived Orkney scallop starter to the sea cliff lobster mains.
Every bite oozes with flavour and confirms what I’ve already learned: the other side of Edinburgh offers a fabulous taste of the undiscovered.
GO: PORTOBELLO
STAYING THERE: Doubles at the Best Western Kings Manor in Portobello cost from £152 per night on a B&B basis. See kingsmanor.com.
For more info, see visitscotland.com.