Musselburgh
Worth Visiting? A Half-Day Escape from Edinburgh
Are you planning on visiting Edinburgh but want an a brief escape from the tourist hordes? Musselburgh is worth visiting if you want an easy coastal escape from Edinburgh without committing to a full day trip. You'll find quiet and leafy streets, riverside walking, horse racing and one of golf’s most unusual old courses. Do not expect Edinburgh Castle in miniature as Musselburgh’s appeal is quieter, more local and pleasantly unpolished.
My own experience
I stayed up in Queen Margaret University for a few weeks, and the evening strolls and weekend beers were definitely pleasant. The people are friendly and the place has a calm and leafy feel to it. It might surprise you but it is only a few minutes outside the city by train, and here I found I could get a bit of peace and quiet down by the harbour and on the beach that looks over the Firth of Forth, and out toward the North Sea. The riverside walk with its ancient bridges was also a highlight of my stay.
Musselburgh at a glance
Musselburgh is therefore best for a walk on the riverside, promenade and beach, in that order if you arrive by train as it lies at the back of the village beside Queen Margaret University, though if you prefer, Lothian Buses and its frequent services will leave you down in the town centre, which is very close to the harbour. Trains take seven minutes from Waverley, so you're there super quick. A return train ticket from Waverley Station in the city will cost between £5-7.
Start beside the sea...or up the other end?
Fisherrow Harbour is the best place to begin. This small historic harbour opens onto the Firth of Forth, with views back towards Edinburgh and across the water to Fife.
From here, walk along the promenade towards the mouth of the River Esk. The combination of harbour, shoreline and river makes this the most attractive part of Musselburgh—and a refreshing contrast to central Edinburgh.
Energetic visitors can follow the official Musselburgh and Fisherrow Circular. The five-mile route takes approximately two to two and a half hours, passing the harbour, River Esk, Inveresk and several historic sites. For a shorter visit, simply follow the waterfront and river before turning towards the High Street.
If you opt to come in by train, which is up beside the university, or get off the bus there, you can walk downhill until you are on the riverside and find yourself back on the main street and the harbour. I preferred this route as it is somwhat downhill up nearer to the train station, though by the time you get to the riverside, everything is flat.
Look beyond the town centre
Musselburgh lays claim to being Scotland’s oldest town, with a Roman fort that dates back to about 80AD. The Romans of course and rather famously couldn't hold onto much of what is now modern Scotland due to the furious efforts of the native Caledonian tribes, known to the Romans and to history as the Picts.
The Old Bridge, usually called the Roman Bridge, crosses the Esk on a route associated with the Roman settlement at nearby Inveresk. The present bridge is much later, but the crossing remains one of Musselburgh’s most atmospheric landmarks.
On the High Street, look for the Tolbooth and its distinctive clock. Musselburgh Museum offers more background on the town’s Roman, medieval, industrial and fishing history, and you can check it out a little more at this link.
Golf inside a racecourse
Musselburgh’s strangest sight is also its most memorable. The nine-hole Musselburgh Links sits inside Musselburgh Racecourse.
The links are recorded as being played from at least 1672 and hosted the Open Championship six times between 1874 and 1889. Even visitors uninterested in playing golf may appreciate the unusual layout and its place in sporting history. You can find out more about the golf course at this link.
The surrounding Musselburgh Racecourse holds flat and jump meetings throughout the year. On a racing day, the town becomes considerably livelier, so check the fixture list at this link before deciding when to visit.
Recommendations for a Beer?
Stagg's Bar-The Voluneer Arms
Stagg's, otherwise known as the Volunteer Arms, is probably the best place in town. In this expensive age, its prices are really good, with most beers being sold at £5-5.50 and a glass of house whiskey (Whyte & Mackay when we were there) at £1.80 a shot.
They have a revolving system of draught beers, so you might find that they have changed if you return, and you have a wide variety of IPAs, black beers and lagers for sale. Loch Lomond and Arbor were just two of the brands we tried and another Black beer called Thunderstruck, which tasted like something between a stout and an IPA, so there are a variety of tastes at a decent price.
Stagg's is down in the town centre, on North High Street in the town centre and close to the harbour, and you can check out their Facebook page here.
Getting to Musselburgh
ScotRail, which you can consult here, gives an average journey time of approximately ten minutes from Edinburgh Waverley, in my own experience the time being seven minutes. Regular buses also connect Edinburgh with Musselburgh and may be more convenient for the High Street and waterfront. Allow additional time to reach the centre from the railway station. You can check the buses out here at the Lothian Buses website.
Is Musselburgh worth the trip?
If you enjoy coastal walking, sporting history and places that still feel lived in rather than arranged for tourism, and you want to escape the tourist mayhem of the Royal Mile, which is also a fantastic place to see albeit chockablock on any given day, you would definitely appreciate the sea air and peaceful atmosphere.
Musselburgh is less suitable if you want a packed programme of headline attractions. Treat it as a relaxed half-day escape, or combine it with a race meeting or Newhailes House, and “the Honest Toun” becomes a rewarding introduction to East Lothian.