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Musselburgh
Town in East Lothian, Scotland

Musselburgh

Musselburgh is a historic coastal town in East Lothian, Scotland, on the shore of the Firth of Forth.

Plan a trip to Musselburgh→From Glasgow

The town sits at the mouth of the River Esk, approximately 5 miles east of Edinburgh, 46 miles east of Glasgow, and 91 miles south-southwest of Aberdeen. It is the largest settlement in East Lothian, with a population of 21,479 in 2022.

Get in

Getting to Musselburgh

For long-distance routes by air, rail or bus, see Edinburgh. From the airport take Skylink Bus 400 to Fort Kinnaird, then local buses for the last 3 miles into town. For long-distance coaches change in Edinburgh: these fly past on the A1 and don't call at Musselburgh. Lothian Buses 15, 26, 30 and 44 run to Musselburgh from Edinburgh.

See

Worth seeing

  1. 01
    Fisherrow is

    Town centre retains its old street pattern but is mostly modern.

  2. 02
    Newhailes House

    Newhailes EH21 6RY (A mile west on A6095),.

  3. 03
    The Lagoons are reclaimed land just north

    Lots of resident and migratory birds here, and concrete observation hides.

  4. 04
    Inveresk Lodge Garden

    24 Inveresk Village EH21 7TE (A mile south of Musselburgh),.

Do

Things to do

The Brunton on Ladywell Way was a popular two-auditorium theatre. It closed in 2025 when the concrete structure was found to be unsafe and beyond economic repair. So a new theatre is wanted but there's no word on timetable; while waiting the theatre performs at Northesk Parish Church and Loretto School Theatre in Musselburgh and in Haddington.

  1. 01
    Musselburgh Racecourse

    This has flat-racing Apr-Oct and jumps races Nov-March.

  2. 02
    Royal Musselburgh Golf Club

    Prestongrange House EH32 9RP (on B1361 towards Prestonpans),.

  3. 03
    Musselburgh Golf Club

    Monktonhall Terrace EH21 6AX (B6415 towards Old Craighall),.

Eat

Where to eat

Mussels served here may be Scottish but won't be local: the burgh's mussel beds were lost by the 20th century to over-harvesting and pollution. For centuries they had provided food, marl for fertiliser and construction, and a habitat for other marine life. There are initiatives to re-establish beds elsewhere in Britain, but it's unlikely to be feasible here so close to city industry.

How locals move

Getting around Musselburgh the local way

  • Get inLeith was the historic port of arrival for packet ships from London (three days upchucking beats nine days jolting in a stagecoach) but there are nowadays no ferries to Leith, and it's too small for modern cruise liners: these anchor out in the Firth and bring their guests by tender either here or to South Queensferry.
  • Get inN16 follows the shore to Newhaven, Granton and Silverknowes, N14 follows Ferry Road to Goldenacre and Muirhouse.
  • Get inIt's often congested, but so too is the direct route along Queensferry Road, Telford Road and Ferry Road.
  • Get aroundBus 21 goes west along Ferry Rd to Corstorphine and Gogar, and also takes you east to Craigentinny, Portobello beach and Craigmillar.
  • Go nextWest further inland on Ferry Road is Goldenacre sports ground and the north access to the Botanic Gardens in Canonmills.

From Wikivoyage: Edinburgh/Leith, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: marsupium photography (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.