I tend to split Portobello Beach into two zones – the North Beach (the beach north of the Figgate Burn) and the South Beach (the beach south of that)
The top of the North Beach is home to the Seafield Waste Water Treatment Works (aka Sewage Plant) – Scotland’s largest.
When the tide is out you can walk up near the external wall and reach Leith.
View of the waste water plant on a sunny day
At low tide you can walk up the pipe to check out some of the output:
Mid-way up the sewage pipe
As you can see there is a pretty good view from the pipe.
Top of the sewage pipe
Once you get to the top you can experience the sewage output and worry about the quality of the surrounding water.
Having said this, there is a fair amount of decent wildlife up here, and I’ve seen plenty of Eider Duck, Cormorant, Sand Pippet, Oyster Catcher, Crabs and even a North Atlantic Cod meandering amongst the Seaweed.