☰Portobello Beach

Portobello is Edinburgh's beach — two miles of sandy shoreline on the Firth of Forth, four miles east of the city centre, with a Victorian promenade that still has the feel of an old seaside town. On warm days (less frequent than visitors might hope), the beach fills with Edinburgh families; the cold North Sea does not deter Scottish swimmers who have grown up with it. The promenade has ice cream sellers, cafes, and the general infrastructure of a seaside resort that has seen grander days but retains genuine character. Portobello is not Brighton — it is quieter, less polished, more local — and that is largely to its credit.