A day trip to Cramond from Edinburgh

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Have you ever heard of tidal islands? These islands are normally surrounded by water, but when it is low tide the water clears and you can actually walk there. The most famous one, in my opinion, is the island of Mont-Saint-Michel in France. However, you don’t need to go to France to experience this as Edinburgh has its own tidal island: Cramond Island. This day trip to Cramond shows a close up of this natural phenomenon.

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Getting there

Cramond is a village or a suburb located to the north-west of Edinburgh. Hence, it is very easy to get there, as there is a direct bus (bus 41) from the city centre to Cramond. You can take the bus from various stops in Edinburgh (such as The Mount, George Street and Princess Street). In less than an hour, you will be there. Once you arrive you need to get off at Cramond Glebe Road and then walk towards the beach along Cramond Glebe and Cramond Village roads.


Things to do

Cramond is famous for its seashore and of course the island. There are a couple of restaurants and cafes there but what you really should do is walk, either along Cramond Beach, towards the Cramond Island or by the River Almond. This walk covers everything.

When we visited the area, we (partially) followed the River Almond part and then we decided to walk to Queensferry because it was still too early to cross. However, (almost) halfway to Queensferry we changed our minds and returned back so that we can cross the island. In the end, we didn’t have time to walk the Cramond Beach, but we still enjoyed our day trip.

Tip: Make sure you check the tide times carefully! You don’t want to be left on the island when the sea covers the footpath and be rescued by a boat. The tide times can be found both online and on a board near the footpath in Cramond.

Day Trip to Cramond – Photo Diary

Cramond Village
We arrived in cloudy Cramond.
Cramond Beach
First, we walked towards the island, up to the point where the footpath meets the sea.
Almond River
Because we couldn’t go to the island, we followed the walk along the Almond River.
Almond River Bridge
Bridges are scarce along the River Almond, so it can be a long way before being able to walk on the other side.
Blooming trees
On our way, we were greeted with signs of spring!
Cramond House
We even found some horses along the way.
Low Tide shore
While we were walking towards Queensferry, we realised that low tide happened earlier than planned. So, we decided to go back to the island.
Sea shells
Walking on seashells.
Cramond Low tide
Then was water and now it is hard sand…
Cramond Island Footpath Pylons
These pylons on the footpath to Cramond Island were used as anti-shipping barriers during World War II.
View from Cramond Island
We made it to the highest peak on the island! At the back, you can see Edinburgh and that ruined building on the island is a WWII fortification.
View from Cramond Island
Enjoying the serenity of the place.
View of Forth Bridges from Cramond Island
View of the Forth Bridges in Queensferry from Cramond Island.
View from Cramond Island
Decided to step into the WWII fortification and the views were totally worth it!
View from Cramond Island
Last photo before walking back to Cramond Village and taking the bus to Edinburgh.

All photos were taken using the camera Sony ILCE-5100 [AD] and the 16-50mm [AD] or 55-210mm [AD] lense unless otherwise specified.


P.S. This day trip to Cramond was the last trip I organised for the Photographic Society of the University of Edinburgh. I hope you (virtually) enjoyed it! Don’t forget to check out my other photo diaries here.

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Elina Michaelidou

Elina is a computer science graduate and a traveller enthusiastic. Read everything about her travel experiences here.

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This Post Has 7 Comments

  1. Melissa Byron

    BEAUTIFUL photos! This information is great! I really want to visit Scotland in 2020! I am crossing my fingers that it is still possible: )

  2. I’m suuuuper happy to see how my travel list for Scotland keeps growing!
    Thank you for sharing 🙂

  3. Great post! Glad you made it over to the island. 🙂 I need to explore more of Cramond, it looks really quaint!