Forth Bridge walk

This is a walk over the Forth Road Bridge over the Firth of the Forth (an estuary), an iconic suspension bridge, with view of the new Queensferry Road Bridge and even more iconic Forth (rail) Bridge.

The walk starts from Dalmeny Station and heads down to the coast, passing Queensferry and its harbour (and pubs).

You then climb up to the bridge (now pedestrian, cyclist, public transport and a few vehicles that aren't allowed on motorways only) and cross high over the estuary with great views, especially of the 2 other bridges

Once across in North Queensferry, you follow the coast out to the pier (more views), then inland to the station, to catch a train over the rail bridge back to the start.

You can walk back across the bridge (the east/sea side path is usually open, you might be lucky and be able to cross the west/inland path on the way back.

The bridge part of the walk is a cycle path, so step free. There is ample free parking on South Queensferry seafront.

The route is waymarked as the Forth Bridges Trail.

The paths are occasionally closed during bad weather. Check @TheForthBridges (Twitter)

You can walk back across the bridge (the east/sea side path is always open, you might be lucky and be able to cross the west/inland path on the way back.

There is a disused railway path on the south side that cuts out some road walking (at the expense of views and pubs)

Dalmeny and North Queensferry stations are 4 mins apart over the Forth (rail) Bridge. About 2 trains an hour must not equally spaced, so check. About £3 single. All trains go to Edinburgh (about 20 mins). Inter City trains from London go over the bridge but don't stop at these small stations, so change at Edinburgh

There is ample free parking on South Queensferry seafront.

North side: Just a tea room.

South side: Several places along the foreshore in South Queensferry, including chippies and (east to west) The Bikers Cove, The Railbridge Bistro, The Ferry Tap (pub, open all day, food lunchtimes only) and The Inchcolminn Inn. Carry on under the Forth (road) Bridge for 100m for Scotts Bar and Restaurant (industrial interior, great view, good food, terrace)

The first proposed crossing was an 1878 suspension bridge by Thomas Bouch, a celebrated rail engineer. It was cancelled after the Tay (Rail) Bridge disaster for which his design was blamed.

The Forth (Rail) Bridge is an iconic 1890 cantilever bridge, with then the longest single cantilever span in the world. It is still in regular use today.

The Forth (Road) Bridge is a 1964 suspension bridge. Despite strengthening, including enclosing the cables with low-humidity wrappers, there were problems with corrosion of the cables, and the bridge had to be closed for periods in the early 21stC. Effectively obsolete, it has since been replaced by a new road bridge, and is now only used by non-motorway traffic (cyclists, pedestrians etc.)

The Queensferry Crossing is a 2017 replacement cable stayed road bridge. Cable stayed bridges spans are less than suspension bridge spans, but they have the maintenance advantage of being repairable, so are a much better long term design.

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After the walk, please leave a comment, it really helps. Thanks!

You can also upload photos to the SWC Group on Flickr (upload your photos) and videos to Youtube. This walk's tags are:

National Rail: 03457 48 49 50 • Traveline (bus times): 0871 200 22 33 (12p/min) • TFL (London) : 0343 222 1234

Feb-23 Andrew