It’s so easy to reach South Queensferry from Edinburgh so when our friend suggested a little day trip to Incholm island we jumped on the 10 minute train to Dalmeny and headed along to the Hawes Ferry Port.
We booked a boat trip with Maid of the Forth who offer tickets where you get to step off on the island and explore before jumping back on the boat which takes you back, but also tickets where you just go to the island without disembarking and then takes you back. The boat trip is out 30 minutes each way and we had about 1.5h on the island.
Inchcolm Island
On the island you can explore the abbey ruins, have a look around the gift shop / little museum and see a WW1 tunnel as well as plenty of birds. There were parts of the island we couldn’t get to because birds were nesting but we didn’t feel as if we were missing out. The abbey is really impressive and in great condition. There are parts that are very dark, uneven and narrow so if you have claustrophobic tendencies you might not like to go everywhere – especially up to the highest viewpoint as the spiral staircase is just a tad wider than my shoulders and hips. I was quite scared going up and down and not actually sure that the view is worth it, as you can get a lovely view from the hill behind the gift shop as well where you can admire the abbey.
The Boathouse
Following our excursion to Inchcolm we headed to The Boathouse for dinner. Initially we had intended to go to Scott’s, but they were fully booked, so we booked The Boathouse instead, which had good reviews online. The restaurant has quite a bare interior design which didn’t feel very cosy, but I can imagine the view being lovely as it overlooks the water and the railway bridge. However at the moment, you can’t really see the view from inside the restaurant as they have a white tent covering the outdoor seating which blocks the view. You can of course sit outside as well, but there were primarily two-seat tables and since it was quite windy and noisy we opted to sit inside.
We went for a bottle of Riesling along with oysters to start followed by a steak with béarnaise for me. The food was alright and overall we had a good time.
✦ Want to read more about distillery visits?
Check out my Instagram @swedishwhiskygirl or @scandinavianabroad to see even more photos and follow along on future adventures.
English 
Svenska