What is the best short journey from Edinbugh .. over Forth Rail Bridge

[Willie Bee]

My wife and I are visiting Edinburgh in a few weeks so we are busy trying to work out some form of itinerary.

We visited Edinburgh last year, so need something new this time.

I'm thinking about taking a train journey over the Forth Rail Bridge, surely one of the most famous rail bridges in the UK.

Which journeys take this route ..if they go through Edinburgh Haymarket, better still as our hotel is nearby

Second question .. which town on the north side of the Forth is worth a short visit, perhaps for a coffee or some lunch? i could easily take the train there and straight back, but I don't think my wife would be too keen on that idea.

thanks for any suggestions

 

[Mcr Warrior]

How far are you wanting to travel? Most trains over the Forth Rail bridge from Edinburgh Waverley will also call next stop at Haymarket. Two obvious nearby(ish) destinations on the Fife side of the bridge would be Dunfermline and/or Kirkcaldy. A bit further afield, and with a slightly more expensive fare, you could travel up to Dundee & also cross the equally scenic Tay Rail bridge.

 

[Iskra]

I would second trying to get to Dundee, there’s a bit of stuff to do there of non-rail interest if that’s a factor as well. Additionally, I think Scotrail HST’s run this route, with some of the most comfortable first class on the network if that’s an option.

 

[Gaelan]

I would second trying to get to Dundee, there’s a bit of stuff to do there of non-rail interest if that’s a factor as well. Additionally, I think Scotrail HST’s run this route, with some of the most comfortable first class on the network if that’s an option.

They do - getting an Aberdeen service (calling at Dundee) instead of a Dundee service is likely to get you an HST, though there’s always the risk of a surprise 170.

 

[Bletchleyite]

If you want a very short one, Burntisland will probably give you a nice stroll along the prom, though it's a bit more Morecambe than Brighton these days (i.e. not a lot there), and bring your coat!

 

[DarloRich]

Dalmeny > North Queensferry is the shortest journey

You could get off at North Queensferry and take a wander around/under the bridge

 

[simonw]

My wife and I are visiting Edinburgh in a few weeks so we are busy trying to work out some form of itinerary.

We visited Edinburgh last year, so need something new this time.

I'm thinking about taking a train journey over the Forth Rail Bridge, surely one of the most famous rail bridges in the UK.

Which journeys take this route ..if they go through Edinburgh Haymarket, better still as our hotel is nearby

Second question .. which town on the north side of the Forth is worth a short visit, perhaps for a coffee or some lunch? i could easily take the train there and straight back, but I don't think my wife would be too keen on that idea.

thanks for any suggestions

If you just want a quick trip across the bridge, take the train to North Queensferry. walk down to the waters edge. Then take the train back to Dalmeny where there is somewhere to get a drink and a bite to eat and watch the trains overhead.

 

[AndrewE]

If you want a very short one, Burntisland will probably give you a nice stroll along the prom, though it's a bit more Morecambe than Brighton these days (i.e. not a lot there), and bring your coat!

If it's a nice day and you fancy a stroll on the beach as well as a train ride then Kinghorn is hard to beat, even if the village doesn't have much in the way of amenities. We try to take our granddaughters ther eeach time we go to Eburgh.

 

[Willie Bee]

OP here .. thank you for all your replies

 

[Snapper37]

Aberdour has some nice beaches and a castle.

 

[lachlan]

If you want a very short one, Burntisland will probably give you a nice stroll along the prom, though it's a bit more Morecambe than Brighton these days (i.e. not a lot there), and bring your coat!

Burntisland is worth a visit for a walk up the Binn ridge adjacent to the town, otherwise there's not much there.

If you just want a quick trip across the bridge, take the train to North Queensferry. walk down to the waters edge. Then take the train back to Dalmeny where there is somewhere to get a drink and a bite to eat and watch the trains overhead.

Another option though it's not exactly a short walk is to get off at North Queensfery and walk to Dalmeny via the old Forth road bridge.

Given enough time I'd make a day of it and visit Dundee as the Tay bridge views are fab and there's plenty to do in Dundee. The journey onwards to Aberdeen is also very scenic with a third bridge at Montrose basin, but that is well beyond a "short journey"

 

[Narrowgauge725]

Go to North Queensferry and then walk back over the road bridge enjoy South Queensferry and the views under and around the bridge and train from South Queensferry back to Edinburgh

 

[AndrewE]

Given enough time I'd make a day of it and visit Dundee as the Tay bridge views are fab and there's plenty to do in Dundee. The journey onwards to Aberdeen is also very scenic with a third bridge at Montrose basin, but that is well beyond a "short journey"

I wondered whether Dundee came within the remit... We had a couple of days there and really enjoyed the place, I wouldn't bother with the V&A (although they had a good exhibition about Valentine's cards) but the city museum is everything it ought to be. Broughty Ferry is nice too, especially the museum.
p.s. also an unaltered 18th Century wooden-walls warship every bit as informative as visiting the Victory!

Go to North Queensferry and then walk back over the road bridge enjoy South Queensferry and the views under and around the bridge and train from South Queensferry back to Edinburgh

except there is no station at S Queensferry, it's a fair drop down to it from the bridge (if there is a foootpath from the road) and then back up to Dalmeny!

 

[Hadders]

I walked from Dalmeny to North Queensferry across the bridge last year. It's about 3.5 miles and took me just over an hour.

 

[DelW]

For the short trip options, I'd go for Dunfermline - it's a short (albeit uphill) walk into the historic city centre. There you'll find the abbey (where I think Scots monarchs were once crowned), an extensive park, a museum and galleries devoted to Andrew Carnegie (who was born there) as well as shops and eating and drinking places. There's also a Wetherspoons in a splendid civic building right in the centre if your tastes lie that way.

 

[Falcon1200]

There is also Deep Sea World situated in the shadow of the Forth Bridge at North Queensferry, although it's a steep walk from the station and back!

A more convoluted trip could take in the driverless bus over the Forth Road Bridge, however this means getting to Edinburgh Park station or Ferrytoll Park & Ride to join it (there are buses between the latter and Inverkeithing station).

 

[Willie Bee]

Thanks again for all the ideas

 

[Steven Taylor]

On my first visit to Edinburgh is 2019 I did a trip to Dundee, in order to cross the Forth and Tay bridges for the first time. I enjoyed the trip to Dundee plus the bridges so much I repeated a couple of days later.

 

[Gaelan]

Thanks again for all the ideas

I've just seen on the RailUK ticket site this message .. Sorry, we're only permitted to sell paper tickets for the journey you've selected.

Does this mean the tickets have to be posted, or can they be collected at a ticket booth at the point of departure?

The latter.

If you want digital tickets, ScotRail supports mTickets - these are broadly similar to the eTickets used by other companies, but can only be purchased through certain apps (like ScotRail and Trainline) and can only be shown on a phone in the app, not printed or stored as a PDF. Generally I only bother with mTickets if I'm in enough of a hurry that I need to buy a ticket while walking to the station.

 

[Willie Bee]

If you want digital tickets, ScotRail supports mTickets - these are broadly similar to the eTickets used by other companies, but can only be purchased through certain apps (like ScotRail and Trainline) and can only be shown on a phone in the app, not printed or stored as a PDF. Generally I only bother with mTickets if I'm in enough of a hurry that I need to buy a ticket while walking to the station.

Thank you .. I actually removed the second part of my comment, as I had a quick look on Google and I am ashamed to say .. I asked the same question on this forum a few months ago

 

[Willie Bee]

Go to North Queensferry and then walk back over the road bridge enjoy South Queensferry and the views under and around the bridge and train from South Queensferry back to Edinburgh

I think this is what we'll do, but I'll book nearer the time

We are going in early January, so the weather might have an effect on our plans.

 

[nlogax]

+1 for the Dundee trip. Two great river crossings right there plus all those water views.

 

[greyman42]

Is Inverkeithing worth a visit?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Is Inverkeithing worth a visit?

There's always the Gregg's on the High Street, which for some on here, might possibly be sufficient.

 

[87electric]

There's always the Gregg's on the High Street, which for some on here, might possibly be sufficient.

I just spat my beer out reading that. So, so funny.

 

[Kite159]

It's a shame the Fife Circle services no longer operate as a circle as one potential option could have been a day return to Glenrothes with Thornton and simply remain on the unit for some Fife countryside & the coastal views.

 

[lachlan]

Is Inverkeithing worth a visit?

I don't remember there being much there, though it was a good finishing point for the Fife coastal path from North Queensferry

 

[Porty]

Similar to others I'd go for Dundee or Dunfermline, the latter has lots of interesting tourist sites and is very under visited. North Queensferry is worth a wander, though it's a slog back up to the station. You could always walk over the old Forth Bridge and return from Dalmeny if you're feeling energetic.

Or head into the Borders for Galashiels (tapestry - though I've never seen it). Or, if you fancy a 15 mins well signposted walk, go to the end of the line to Tweedbank and visit Abbotsford - though really better in the summer as there's a lovely garden there.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Or head into the Borders for Galashiels (tapestry - though I've never seen it). Or, if you fancy a 15 mins well signposted walk, go to the end of the line to Tweedbank and visit Abbotsford - though really better in the summer as there's a lovely garden there.

Does the OP actually get to travel over the Forth Rail Bridge if they were to travel that way from Edinburgh?