OceanFinds
Scotland Community guide

Portobello Beach

Portobello, City of Edinburgh · EH15 1HH

Edinburgh's seaside beach, where old glassworks and potteries left white and green sea glass and lots of pottery shards on the tideline.

Directions Tide times Beach info
Broad sandy Portobello Beach on the Firth of Forth under a blue sky
Photo: “Beach, Portobello” by Richard Webb, CC BY-SA 2.0

About Portobello Beach

Portobello is Edinburgh's long sandy beach with a promenade, a short bus ride from the city centre. Glass bottle works and potteries once lined this shore, and two of the old brick kilns still stand just behind the beach. Sea glass and especially sea pottery still wash up along the tideline.

Sea glass at Portobello Beach

Mostly white and green glass, plus plenty of pottery shards (redware, white earthenware) and old stout and ginger beer bottle bases. Search the tideline at low tide anywhere along the promenade; one local finds the stretch past King's Road best for pottery.

Visiting Portobello Beach

Safety
Check the tide times before you go and head out on a falling tide, so you're never cut off. Keep away from the bottom of cliffs, wear sturdy shoes on rocks, and only take sea glass and other man-made rubbish: pebbles, sand and shells should stay on the beach.
From the community

Hunters' photos of Portobello Beach

From the community

Hunters' reviews of Portobello Beach

    Been to Portobello Beach? Leave a review

    Reviews are checked before they appear, usually within a couple of days.

    Your rating (optional)
    What did you find? (optional)

    Sign in to post under your profile and keep track of the beaches you've hunted, or just add your name.

    Your name, rating and review will be shown publicly. See our privacy policy.
    Community forum

    Discussions about Portobello Beach

    Start a discussion

      No discussions yet. Been recently? Post a beach report and tell other hunters how it was.

      Sources

      • vers.la : Calls Portobello a sea glass hotspot due to its bottle-making history.
      • blogs.ed.ac.uk : Edinburgh University blog on beachcombing Portobello: pottery shards and bottle bases, section past King's Road best.

      Last updated 23 October 2026

      Nearby

      More sea glass beaches near Portobello

      All beaches in Scotland
      Scotland © Jim Barton · CC BY-SA 2.0

      Musselburgh Beach

      Musselburgh, East Lothian · 2 miles away

      Visit Musselburgh Beach: scenic river mouth, leisurely promenade, and local wildlife, ideal for tranquil walks and family outings.

      Scotland © Richard Sutcliffe · CC BY-SA 2.0

      Prestonpans Beach

      Prestonpans, East Lothian · 5 miles away

      Rocky East Lothian shore with centuries of pottery and glassworks history, where sea glass and sea pottery turn up all along the tideline.

      Scotland © Colin Park · CC BY-SA 2.0

      Pettycur Bay, Kinghorn

      Kinghorn, Fife · 8 miles away

      Sheltered sandy bay by Kinghorn where green glass from the old Pettycur bottle works still washes up, with browns and the odd blue.

      Scotland © Colin Park · CC BY-SA 2.0

      Burntisland Beach

      Burntisland, Fife · 9 miles away

      Large sandy and rocky town beach on the Forth where collectors find a good amount of common-colour sea glass.