Visit Portobello, Edinburgh Places

Welcome to Visit Portobello, Edinburgh Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Portobello, Edinburgh

  

Portobello, Edinburgh Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Portobello, Edinburgh

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Portobello, Edinburgh history

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Early years

The area was originally known as Figgate Muir, an expanse of moorland with a broad sandy beach on the Firth of Forth. The name “Figgate” has been thought to come from an Old English term for “cow’s ditch”

1700s

By the 18th century the area had become a haunt of seamen and smugglers. A cottage was built in 1742 on what is now the High Street by a seaman called George Hamilton. It remained intact until 1851, when it became a hostelry for travellers known as the Shepherd’s Ha.

1800s

Portobello became industrialized in the 19th century, manufacturing bricks, glass, lead, paper, pottery, soap and mustard. A formidable red-brick power station was built in 1923 at the west end of the beach. The actor Sean Connery once worked there as a lifeguard.

1900s

In 1901 Portobello Baths were opened on The Promenade overlooking the beach. The Edinburgh Marine Gardens laid out north of Kings Road in 1908–1909 included an open-air theatre, an industrial hall, a ballroom (later a skating rink) and a speedway track. It fell out of use in the First World War and never recovered, although the speedway remained in use until the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939.

2000s

The 21st century has seen the emergence of community activities, some focused on the Promenade. The beach hosts regular beach volleyball, including Olympic beach-volleyball qualifiers, and the annual Big Beach Busk event. In 2019 Portobello was voted the best neighbourhood in the UK at the 2020 Urbanism Awards.

You can visit Portobello, Edinburgh places with Walkfo Portobello, Edinburgh to hear history at Portobello, Edinburgh’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Portobello, Edinburgh has 103 places to visit in our interactive Portobello, Edinburgh map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Portobello, Edinburgh, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Portobello, Edinburgh places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Portobello, Edinburgh & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 103 audio facts unique to Portobello, Edinburgh places in an interactive Portobello, Edinburgh map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Portobello, Edinburgh Places Map
103 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Portobello, Edinburgh historic spots	Portobello, Edinburgh tourist destinations	Portobello, Edinburgh plaques	Portobello, Edinburgh geographic features
Walkfo Portobello, Edinburgh tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Portobello, Edinburgh

  

Best Portobello, Edinburgh places to visit

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Portobello, Edinburgh has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Portobello, Edinburgh’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Portobello, Edinburgh’s information audio spots:

Golfers Land The Golfers Land is a site on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland dating to around 1681. The site gets its name from the town house of John Paterson, said to have been the teammate of the Duke of Albany in what is often regarded as the first international golf contest.

Newhailes House Newhailes House is a Palladian style country house which stands in 80 acres of parkland in East Lothian, Scotland. Originally named Whitehills, it is a Category A listed building which is now occupied by the National Trust for Scotland.

Portobello Swim Centre Edinburgh’s only authentic and publicly available turkish bath, one of three remaining in Scotland. The salt water baths were completed in 1901. It has been given Category A listed building status by Historic Environment Scotland.

Portobello Open Air Pool Portobello Open Air Pool was opened on 30 May 1936 at a cost of £90,000. The pool was opened at the cost of a total of £80,000 at the time.

An Incident in the Rebellion of 1745 An Incident in the Rebellion of 1745 is an oil painting by the Anglo-Swiss artist David Morier (c.1705-1780) It depicts a scene during the 1746 Battle of Culloden.

Visit Portobello, Edinburgh plaques