6: Cross over to the Kingdom of Fife at a height of 110m on the 47th longest suspension bridge in the world (P.S. it’s the Forth Road Bridge)
5km (2 hours) with no traffic
Easy walk with only a slight incline towards the centre of the bridge
Can bring scooter, traffic-free, super views
Combine with crab fishing under the world famous rail bridge
Getting to the Start
The footpath over the Forth Road Bridge starts at the car park beside the Forth Bridges Contact and Education Centre (POSTCODE: EH30 9SF). Drive passed the petrol station after turning left at the roundabout and you’ll see a large car park in front of you. The car park has a little picnic kiosk and a viewpoint to enjoy before embarking on your journey.
There are plenty of East Coast Stagecoach buses (X55, X58, X59, X60) and a Lothian Country Bus (43) that will take you near to the starting point. It takes about 25-40 minutes to travel there from Edinburgh city centre.
Highlights
The height of the crossing over the water results in spectacular views of the Forth as well as the bridges.
Take a moment to look at the thousands of romantic padlocks attached to the central panels of the bridge; started in 2015 to raise thousands of pounds for the RNLI Queensferry Lifeboat Station.
Take a crab line, crabbing bucket and some smoked bacon (should only cost around £10) and do a spot of crab fishing after your walk.
Walk Description
Take a moment to visit the view point in the car park, detailing some interesting landmarks before you start the walk.
From the car park, pass to the left of the toilets, and down steps to reach the footpath on the near side of the dual carriageway across the bridge.
Turn right along the footpath (the cycleway is the left half) out onto the Forth Road Bridge. Most walkers would use the East path across the bridge, but you can use the underpass if you prefer walking over the west side.
The path rises gently as it climbs towards the first of the support towers. After passing the mid point, the bridge levels off and you’ll see the love lock panels.
After passing the second tower, the walkway leads downhill towards the Fife side of the bridge. Return the way you came after you feel you’ve walked far enough!
We topped the day off by walking down to Hawes Pier or Whitehouse Bay to do a spot of crabbing.
TOP TIPS
If you want to do some crabbing, slack water (the time around high or low tide) is the best time to crab. During slack water, crabs are generally walking around and foraging since they are not getting pushed around by tidal exchange. Use smoked bacon or smoked haddock as your bait - the crabs seem to like that the best!
As you stand on the West side of the bridge and look down, you’ll see Port Edgar Marina. It’s a vibrant marina with a couple of great cafes and restaurants for lunch. We like Down the Hatch.
If the Contact and Education Centre is open (situated in the car park), the lovely staff there will give your kids some activity packs for completing the crossing.
Press play below on the map below and you can download the route to your phone from the Menu.
