Come on in the water quality is 'sufficient'
Plus: Party in Princes Street Gardens; and debate about the German Market that is no more
Concern as a third of Lothian bathing beaches just meet legal minimum standards
The water quality at a third of the officially designated bathing waters in Edinburgh and East Lothian has only reached the basic ‘pass’ level for the coming year.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) monitors the water quality at all official bathing waters (12 in Edinburgh and East Lothian) between May and September each year and awards them a ranking between Excellent and Poor.
One beach in East Lothian (Gullane) was rated Excellent and one (Fisherrow Sands) was judged to be (Poor), while the others were classed as either Good or Sufficient.
The classification, based on monitoring over a four-year period, determine the advice given to anyone considering swimming or taking part in sports, such as paddleboarding, in the waters.
Across Scotland, 82% of bathing beaches are Excellent or Good (compared to 58% in Edinburgh and East Lothian) and only three are Poor.
Beaches ranked as Sufficient meet the minimum legal requirement for keeping humans safe, but as water quality can vary swimmers are advised to check Sepa’s daily bathing water predictions before entering the water.
Bathing water beach Water quality rating
Dunbar (Belhaven) Good
Dunbar (East) Sufficient
Fisherrow Sands, Musselburgh Poor
Gullane Excellent
Longniddry Good
North Berwick (Milsey Bay) Good
North Berwck (West) Good
Portobello (Central) Sufficient
Portobello (West) Sufficient
Seton Sands Good
Wardie Bay Good
Yellowcraig Sufficient
The context: There are concerns about the amount of sewage entering waterways, particularly in Edinburgh and other cities, exacerbated by the relatively low level of monitoring carried out in Scotland (34% of storm overflows compared to 100% in England and Wales). The Scottish Government has committed to investing £500m in improving urban waterways and cutting sewage pollution through Scottish Water.
Sepa says: The Scottish Government agency points to the 82% of bathing waters nationally ranked Good or Excellent and the 97% meeting minimum standards of evidence of good performance. Ruth Stidson, principal specialist scientist at Sepa, says: “For 30 years, Sepa’s scientific monitoring and evidence have supported long-term improvements at bathing waters across Scotland, and we continue to work with partners to identify pollution risks and target action where improvements are still needed.”
‘Wet wipes on the beach’: Katherine Sangster, the Labour MSP for Edinbugrgh and Lothian East, who lives in Musselburgh, told the Edinburgh Evening News: “I regularly attend community litter picks at Fisherrow. It is horrifying to see the amount of wet wipes that end up on the beach from sewage. The Scottish Government must commit to monitoring all sewage overflows and investment in Scotland’s sewage system to keep our seas clean.”
YOUR EDINBURGH BRIEFING
REBUS RETURNS: Filming is underway in the Capital and Glasgow on a new Inspector Rebus series for the BBC. Richard Rankin, who made a good impression as Ian Rankin’s eponymous detective, will be joined by former Taggart and Holby City star John Michie among others. The new series is due to screen next year.
GARDEN PARTY: Princes Street Gardens West is to host daily live music and performances, alongside Scottish food and drink traders, for nearly six weeks this summer. Edinburgh’s Cold Town Brewery will serve its beers. The Neighbourgood Gardens will take over the Ross Bandstand from 23 July to 31 August, after the organisers of Stockbridge’s popular Neighbourgood Market were awarded a contract for up to four years to operate the bandstand by the city council.
CARNIVAL TIME: The Gardens will host an expanded Festival Carnival, following a parade of up to 1,500 Festival performers on Princes Street, on the weekend before the Neighbourgood Gardens opens. The carnival on Sunday, 19 July, and the Jazz and Blues Festival Mardi Gras in the Grassmarket on Saturday, 18 July, are set to be supported with £132,000 raised by the city’s new Visitor Levy.
OVERSEAS SURGE: With performers from 71 countries, Fringe organisers say there has been “a noticeable increase” in overseas performers heading to the Capital this August. This year’s Fringe is set to be the third biggest to date, with 3,649 shows across 258 venues, despite ongoing concern about the soaring cost of accommodation.
CATHEDRAL CHARGE: Tourists will be charged a fee to enter St Giles Cathedral for the first time from September. The £12 charge will not apply to Scottish residents or under-16s. The Kirk said the money raised would help it better tell its 900-year-old story to visitors and support the concerts it stages.
DETECTORIST FIND: A rare Roman brooch discovered by a metal detectorist near Pathhead in Midlothian is to go on show for the first time at the National Museum of Scotland. The Romans established a series of temporary “marching camps” near Pathhead. The brooch, discovered in 2022, will feature in the Roman Scotland: Life on the Edge of Empire exhibition which opens in November.
TEENAGE KILLER JAILED: A 17-year-old who murdered a man in an unprovoked attack in Leith has been ordered to serve a minimum of 17 years in jail. The teenager, who cannot be named because of his age, killed John McNab, 22, in Great Junction Street in September last year. Four months earlier, had stabbed a 16-year-old boy at Portobello Beach. John McNab’s mother Lisa Petrie is campaigning for tighter controls on the sale of knives.
POOL PROTEST: The beautiful Victorian baths at Portobello would no longer be able to host competitive swimming or water polo under renovation plans being considered by the city council, sports clubs have warned. Portobello Amateur Swimming Club told the Edinburgh Evening News that plans to introduce poolside changing cubicles as part of a planned £7.5 million refurbishment would mean an end to competitions there after more than a century.
OUT OF THE BLUE: The arts and education charity Out of the Blue has secured a 75-year lease on the former Abbeymount Techbase. Out of the Blue operates artists studios in the category B listed building at the top of Easter Road.
PARKING PROTEST: North Berwick Town Council and local MSP Paul McLennan have called on East Lothian Council to pause the introduction of town centre parking charges. Their calls follow complaints of confusing signage and concerns they are putting shoppers off visiting during their first week. East Lothian Council says it believes the charges will allow more people to visit by increasing the turnover of parking. They offer 45 minutes free town centre parking, followed by charges of £2 for 90 minutes. The council plans to introduce charges in Musselburgh, Haddington, Dunbar, and Tranent.
Pic of the week
THE BUSINESS
Leading restaurateur’s Capital idea for Christmas
One of Edinburgh’s leading restaurateurs has put debate about Edinburgh’s Christmas food offering firmly on the menu.
In a social media post, Tony Crolla of the long-established and family-owned and run Vittoria Group, has engendered much comment for suggesting that the market at the heart of the food offering for the city’s popular Christmas festival could be much more of a showcase for Scottish produce.
After a visit to Italy, to The Langhe which is the gastronomic heart of Piemonte, he posted: “Every market we visited, every restaurant we sat in – the locals were loudly proud of their food. Everything on the plate had a story. A farm, a family, a region.
“I got the tram back into Edinburgh city centre and thought about the German market we do every year. You know the stuff – glühwein, frankfurters, raclette. All lovely, hand on heart. But…
“We’re in one of the most visited cities in the world, and our big seasonal food moment is borrowed from somewhere else. Scotland has extraordinary food and drink. Whisky, hot toddies, stovies, fresh seafood, Scottish ales, haggis. Things people fly thousands of miles to try. Maybe it’s time we gave them the same stage. That’d be a proper Scottish Christmas Market”
More local traders: The Inquirer raised the issue with City of Edinburgh Council, who ask Unique Assembly to organize the Christmas Festival and set performance indicators, and a spokesman helpfully, and perhaps for many people surprisingly, pointed out that the market does have a big local input.
In fact, in a committee report in the past few weeks, it was reported that of the 105 market traders taking part in Edinburgh’s Christmas, 78% are Scottish (up from 74% the year before.)
A council spokesman added: “Working with Unique Assembly we do actively try to encourage local suppliers and operators and the figures show that is working.”
It certainly is, as a spokesman for Unique Assembly told us. “We can’t stop people referring to it as the German Market but it’s not been that for a few years since we took over. For example, you can get hot toddies at the market and we have a Scottish smoked salmon stall, which is one of our best performers. Well over 60% of the stall holders are not only Scottish, they’re from Edinburgh postcodes. However, we are very open to more getting on board, and the application process is actually underway now.”
A word of caution: applicants are strongly advised to assess applications as a commercial decision. Not only do the finances need to work, so do the logistics. The Assembly spokesman added: “It’s not as straightforward as setting up at a farmers’ market, for example. Keeping a food stall stocked through a six-week run is not always easy, particularly given the unpredictable weather we get at that time.”
Last word to Tony, who is all for more locals providing more local flavour: “Who knows, if we get the actual food offering spot on maybe we could end up with a Scottish Christmas Market in Germany. Wouldn’t that be something?”
CHAMBER AGM: Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce is hold its Annual General Meeting on Friday 26th June, from 08:30 - 10:00 at the Royal Scots Club, 29-31 Abercromby Place to report on activities and performance during the year 2025-26, as well as our priorities for the coming year. Members will have the opportunity to ask questions of the board and CEO and vote on items proposed.
UNICORN RISING: Edinburgh-based legaltech company Wordsmith AI has raised a further $70 million after raising $25 million last year, reports Daily Business. The company is tipped to become Scotland’s next unicorn – a company valued at $1 billion.
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT
FESTIVAL TIME: It’s Leith Festival time again with a week-and-a-half of events, kicking off from Wednesday with Taylor’s Fun Fair on the Links. Highlights include the traditional gala day on the Links and Paint Elph: The unofficial Leith street art festival at Quality Yard, on Maritime Lane, on Saturday.
SQUARE GO: From Friday’s Swayze Night featuring Dirty Dancing, The Outsider and Point Break to Back to the Future and F1, there’s something for almost every taste when free open air cinema returns to the city centre. Square Cinema will be in St Andrew Square Garden from Friday to Sunday, with seats available on a first-come, first-served basis.
PINK SKY AT MURRAYFIELD: Country music superstar Zach Bryan brings his Heaven on Tour show to Murrayfield Stadium on Sunday. Expect fans in cowboy hats, packed trams and at least one Bruce Springsteen cover from the Grammy Award-winning Pink Skies singer.
QUICK BITES
IN THE OPEN: Three of Scotland’s five top al fresco dining options are in Edinburgh, according to restaurant booking guide Open Table. Their Top 100 restaurants for outdoor dining list has been unveiled, with the five Scottish venues including Badger & Co, Café Calton and The Queen’s Arms.
TOP LOCAL: Iconic city pub Joseph Pearce on Elm Row is closing for a £280,000 refurbishment. It is expected to reopen in late July with the aim of becoming one of the city’s “top quality locals”.