Around Dalmeny Park

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"An easy stroll in the shadow of the Forth Bridge, one of Scotland's greatest engineering feats"

Walk directions

With your back to the 16th-century Hawes Inn, cross the road and turn right. Take the tarmac path that runs off to the left, underneath the Forth Bridge. The rocks on the left are often dotted with seals, basking in the sun. Keep following the asphalt track and you'll soon get great views of the bridge behind you.

When you reach Long Craig Pier go through a white gate. Keep on the track, passing two cottages. Eventually the landscape opens out and you'll see the large tanker berth out in the Forth. Oil is unloaded here, then pumped to a storage depot near Dalmeny. Your track then runs straight ahead until bearing sharp right at Hound Point. There is a beautiful stretch of sand here, and you get a good view of the islands in the Forth. In front of you, towards the Fife coast, is Inchcolm with its ruined medieval abbey.

Continue past Fishery Cottage on the left-hand side, then through another white gate. At a branching of tracks, maintain direction along the coast to follow the Shore Walk. Eventually you'll pass the gate to Barnbougle Castle on the left-hand side, and the path then leads up to get great views of Dalmeny House, the palatial home of the Earls of Rosebery. It has a large collection of French furniture and tapestries, and paintings by Gainsborough, Raeburn and Reynolds.

Bear round to the right, keeping the house on your right-hand side, until you reach a crossroads by a statue of a horse. Go straight ahead, following the driveway uphill with railings on your right, and continue until you reach the gates at the entrance to the estate. Cross the main road with care and continue walking along the road in front of you. This will eventually bring you into Dalmeny village, which has a lovely little Norman church, St Cuthbert's. Dating from the 12th century, the church boasts the most complete example of Romanesque architecture in Scotland. The doorway is exquisite, its two arches bearing elaborate carvings of fantastic beats and grotesque heads. Near the altar is a stained glass window given by a Polish airman stationed in Scotland during World War II.

Leaving the church, turn right at the war memorial and walk downhill – you'll see the bridge again. Turn left along Station Road, walk under the railway bridge, then turn right immediately to follow the narrow path by a housing estate, signposted to Hawes Pier. Go up some steps at the end to cross a bridge over an old railway line, which is now a cycleway. Then turn left and walk round the margin of the fenced area (used by the company working on the bridge).

Turn right to walk under the Forth Bridge. When you reach the other side you'll see a long, steep flight of steps running down to the left. Walk down these to come out at the bridge again. Turn left and walk back to the Hawes Inn, where Robert Louis Stevenson stayed while he wrote the novel Kidnapped (1886). In the novel, David Balfour's wicked and miserly uncle Ebenezer arranges the kidnap of his nephew at this very place.

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Location

Nearest postcode:

Additional information

Terrain - Firm coastal tracks and quiet roads

Landscape - Secluded estuary in the shadow of the historic Forth Bridge

Dog friendliness - Lead required on Dalmeny Estate

Parking - On street opposite Hawes Inn, in South Queensferry and at station

Toilets en route - South Queensferry

Walks in Edinburgh Dog-friendly walks in Edinburgh

About the walk

As its name suggests, South Queensferry was once a haven for the ships that carried passengers across the Firth of Forth to Fife. The last ferries ran in 1964, when they were finally made redundant by the Forth Road (suspension) Bridge. But even before that, they had begun to lose business to...

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Been on this walk?

Send us photos or a comment about this route. Or recommend a route of your own.

Find out more

Walking in Safety

Read our tips to look after yourself and the environment when following this walk.

Learn more

Get an AA guide

Explore our range of ‘50 Walks in’ guides - they’re the ideal companion for a ramble.

Learn more

About the area

Edinburgh is one of Britain’s most spectacular cities and both Old and New Towns have UNESCO World Heritage status. At its heart, the Old Town is a treasury of architecture stretching back to medieval times with its labyrinth of narrow lanes (‘wynds’ or ‘closes’).