Guided Tours of Scotland for the Curious
Audio Tours
The Portobello Collection
Portobello lies roughly 3 miles to the northeast of Edinburgh’s city centre. Officially a suburb of the Scottish capital, it has a strong independent community spirit.
Visitors tend to come, drawn by the 2 mile stretch of sandy beach looking out over the Firth of Forth, and picturesque walks along the Promenade. However, they generally stay to enjoy the variety of independent shops and cafes along the bustling High Street.
Portobello has a wealth of history, with diverse and fascinating buildings as well as stories of interesting and important individuals. These three audio tours will take you on a series of in depth journeys through this popular and welcoming place.
Portobello and Joppa Walk 1:
Industry and Leisure on the Seafront
£2.00
Estimated time: 1 hour
Distance: 1.5 miles
Accessibility: flat
Portobello and Joppa Walk 2:
Portobello Faces
£2.00
Estimated time: 1.5 hours
Distance: 2 miles
Accessibility: flat
Portobello and Joppa Walk 3:
Green Spaces, Beautiful Burns and Historic Houses
£2.00
Estimated time: 2.5 to 3+ hours
Distance: 6 miles
Accessibility: includes a few flights of steps
£5.00
All 3 Portobello & Joppa Walks, plus some extra stories
The Portobello and Joppa tours have been kindly fact-checked by trustees of the Portobello Heritage Trust. The Trust have a fantastic, free, Heritage Trail leaflet of their own, and always welcome new members. See their website for details.
10% of all proceeds from the Portobello and Joppa tours will be donated to the Heritage Trust in recognition of the wonderful work they do for the area.
The Leith Collection
Leith was, historically, Scotland’s most important port.
Without the access to the rest of the world that Leith offered, Edinburgh would have struggled to become the Scottish capital. But whilst Edinburgh needed Leith, the people of Leith have often tended to the opinion that they could happily do without Edinburgh.
Leith, sadly, lost her independent burgh status a century ago, yet remains a vibrant and free-spirited place. Bursting with stories of historic people, places and events, as well as home to some of the city’s finest cafes, pubs and restaurants, Leith is not to be missed. It is easily accessible, just 2.5 miles north of Princes Street and the Royal Mile.
Leith Walk 1:
Coming soon
Leith, Walk 2:
Leith Develops
- dependent on
roadworks completion
£2.00
Estimated time: 2 hours
Distance: 2 miles
Accessibility: some fairly steep, but short slopes. The only flight of stairs can be avoided with a short detour.
Leith, Walk 3:
War, Peace and Murals
£2.00
Estimated time: 2 to 3 hours
Distance: 3 miles
Accessibility: some steep but short slopes and some areas of uneven cobblestones.