John Muir Way: South Queensferry to Bo’ness Walk

We are walking the John Muir Way in short sections in no particular order or direction. We will use public transport from Edinburgh to get us to the starting point and back. This post chronicles the South Queensferry to Bo’ness walk, one of the sections on the John Muir Way.

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John Muir Way | Scotland

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Merry Queensferry! We love this seaside town at the western edge of Edinburgh so much we visit it often. Some times we go to Queensferry to hang out at cafes, at other times we go for walks. There are so many things to do in Queensferry. By the way, this is South Queensferry we are talking about. North Queensferry is across the Firth of Forth, on the other side of the iconic Forth Bridge.

A little introduction about the John Muir Way (JMW): The John Muir Way is one of Scotland’s Great Trails. It runs 215 km (134 miles) from Dunbar on the east coast to Helensburgh on the west coast. It is named about John Muir, a Scottish-American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, and early advocate for the preservation of wilderness in the United States. In the US, he is known as the “Father of National Parks” for the pivotal role he played in establishing them. The trail starts in Dunbar, where Muir was born, and ends in Helensburgh, where he set sail for America. It opened in 2014 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Muir’s death.

The John Muir Way runs the length of South Queensferry. Towards the west, the path heads to Bo’ness. On the east, it leads to Edinburgh through the scenic Dalmeny Estate that we have walked many a times. The South Queensferry to Bo’ness walk is one of the best nature walks near Edinburgh because it is easily accessible by public transport. Despite being so close to the city, it seems to be so far away from the bustle.

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South Queensferry to Bo’ness Walk: The Route

In this post, we walk 15 km from South Queensferry to Bo’ness. It’s a mostly flat stretch that is not strenuous at all and very well-signed. The route hugs the Firth of Forth. Most walkers continue to Linlithgow but as we have mentioned at the start, we are walking the John Muir Way in short sections. Our goal is simple: to have a lovely day outdoors.

• Start: Walker Drive bus stop, South Queensferry
• End: Tesco, Bo’ness

We break for lunch at Blackness, so I have split the post into the two sections below: South Queensferry to Blackness and Blackness to Bo’ness.

South Queensferry to Blackness Walk – 9 km

Having resisted the temptation to stuff our faces at Dune Bakery, we eat breakfast at home and take Lothian Bus 43 from Edinburgh to Walker Drive in Queensferry. The forecast was a mix of wind and sun, but we did take our rain jackets just in case.

Amenities In South Queensferry:

– If you want to use the toilets, get off at Queensferry Police Station. There are public toilets on the main street.
– Queensferry has several excellent cafes and bakeries. Dune is our favourite bakery; note that they sell out by lunch. Manna House Cafe is excellent, too. We love the sandwiches at Roguebros. If you would prefer a sit-down breakfast before heading out, try The Boathouse.
– If you are staying in Queensferry, there’s the lovely Orocco Pier Hotel which overlooks the Firth of Forth and the historic Hawes Inn where RL Stevenson is rumoured to have written parts of Kidnapped.

We walk west from Queensferry along Farquhar Terrace, which takes us under the Queensferry Crossing and into Hopetoun Estate (6,500 acres, including the villages of Abercorn, Winchburgh, and Newton). The present Earl of Hopetoun lives in Hopetoun House, and the 4th Marquess of Linlithgow (the head of the family and Lord Hopetoun’s father) lives on the estate. A short stretch of the path before it enters the estate has no sidewalk, so be cautious of traffic. The views of the Forth Bridges from here are beautiful. On the pebbly shore, we spot oystercatchers. We walk through the gates of Hopetoun Estate. The road is slightly uphill; in July, the trees are lush. Canopies of foliage stretch overhead. Beside the road, in what looks like ditches, there are these gigantic heads of wild carrots nodding in the breeze. Their enormity takes me by surprise.

We are following the National Cycle Path 76. It follows the same path as the John Muir Way to Blackness. Cyclists zoom ahead of us. We take the left before the ticketing booth of Hopetoun House and follow the signs. Entry is ticketed, and if you plan to visit, you can exit the grounds and join the JMW at the western end of the property. Another right turn will bring you to a large blue gate: the entrance to the Deer Park. The path goes through the parkland; on the left you can see the ruins of Stanleyhill Tower above the slope and on the right, you will pass by a cute cottage. The path is unpaved and can get muddy after rain.

When we walked to Abercorn and Midhope last autumn, we saw a herd of fallow deer. We kind of chanced upon them in what seemed like a magical encounter. There they were suddenly, grazing on the slope. I was hoping that would give us a glimpse again. We walked past the sheep, which seemed to have recently been sheared, stretching our necks every now and then and looking back to spot the herd. No deer in sight. But then following the markers, we take a right again through the parklands, and that’s when we see them, a few feet past Midlodge Cottage, where the trail turns to follow the Cornie Burn. Behind us, where the land dips, the screen of tree has been parted to reveal the stately Hopetoun House.

There they are: a whole herd of deer and stags. I see the soft fur on their majestic antlers. They shy away from our footsteps. It brings me such joy, a fleeting glimpse of deer. I keep my eyes peeled for them when we take the train through West Lothian. When we ride the train to Mallaig on our way to the Isle of Canna and the Isle of Rum, we see so many of them in the heather, staring wide-eyed at the train. In Grasmere, a deer jumped out of nowhere into a patch of clearing; we watched mesmerised in the watery evening light, all three of us absolutely still. It was a moment of unmatched beauty.

We walk along the burn, in the shade of birch and sycamore that do a fantastic job of blocking out the wind which was slapping our faces and making our jackets flap like Batman’s cape. The path here is muddy in patches; if you are walking after a particularly wet day, be sure to wear good footwear. It is mostly empty except for the occassional walker; we walk in silence. At the junction, we head straight along the burn. Here, you can take the left if you want to visit Abercorn Church. Nearby is another set of blue Hopetoun Estate gates which, I think, goes into the North Deer Park, home to Hopetoun’s fabled herd of red deer. We keep left, cross the old stone bridge, and continue along the JMW. From here, the path mostly continues through the woods to Blackness with occassional views of the Firth of Forth. However, there’s once special stretch, around 6 km from the starting point, that is absolutely full of foxgloves. I have never seen so many foxgloves in one place at once! Photographs would do it no justice. It was so pretty! For a while, we walked through in between copses of foxgloves like we were in a kingdom of fairies.

Around 2 km ahead, we could see Blackness Castle through the trees. We exit the gates to the woodland and are greeted by a Falkirk Council board. Instead of heading straight into town, we sit down on the stone wall. It’s time for lunch! Aninda has packed some Coronation Chicken sandwiches and a boiled egg each. We eat, drink some water, and watch the sunlit Forth bridges for a while. We also have some black pepper fuet that we decided to snack on later. The tide is out, and we look at the meandering patterns on the mudflats for a while. They look like imprints of river, or shed snakeskin. A couple leave their walking gear aside and lie in the shade of the wall. Across us is Charlestown in Fife. Reenergised, we follow the path behind Blackness Castle and exit just outside the gate. The dramatic castle, best known as Fort William in the hit TV show ‘Outlander’, was built in the 1440s when Blackness was the main port of the Royal Burgh of Linlithgow. Another time, we decide and press on along the narrow road that we have to share with cars and other vehicles. The tide is out. In the harbour, boats jangle.

The plan is to stop for a pint at The Lobster Pot, the only pub in Blackness. We didn’t spot any public toilets in Blackness (seems like the council closed them in 2024); so if you want to use the facilities, this is the place. The Lobster Pot is a jolly pub full of quirky paintings like the one in the picture below of a puppy dressed as the nun from the horror movie of the same name. We get a pint of Lobster Pot Lager, some local raspberry rum, and a slice of lemon drizzle cake. 30 minutes go by, admiring the eccentric fun paintings and chatting. We promise to come back for lunch; the seafood platters on neighbouring tables look tempting. Once outside, Aninda is regretting not ordering the haggis fritters. “Why didn’t I spot them?” he rues. Sorry, but I cannot answer that question.

Public Transport from Blackness: If you want to end your walk at Blackness, note that there are no buses on the weekends. The F49 bus runs Monday to Friday to Linlithgow via Bo’ness, so plan accordingly.

Blackness to Bo’ness Walk – 6 km

We say hello to the quirky wooden horse outside, walk past Blackness Distillery, and are on the path again. Lovely houses line the sea in Blackness; the views must be stunning, I say to myself. The path winds along the Firth of Forth. There’s a stone wall on the side, behind which sheep are grazing nonchalantly on the verdant green pastures. There are also some cows, and I am glad that they are behind the walls. Not very confident around cattle, am I?

Rain clouds have begun to gather and from the John Muir Way, we can see that it is raining on the Ochils, across the waters in Stirlingshire and before long they catch up with us. It’s only a drizzle, so get our hoods up and press on. Bo’ness is only 6 km from Blackness and the path is paved. We walk through the woodland again, listening to the wind whistling and leaves rustling. Occasional birdcalls. Waves lapping at the shore. All this is shattered rudely at Carriden by someone practising their motorbike riding skills in the woods. Don’t ask me why they chose that spot. It is annoying. The cool air is shot through with the acrid smell of diesel. The bikes have no mufflers, and the noise is completely at odds with the solitude of the path. From the smell of fossil fuel, we walk into the stench of sewage. There’s a waste work next to the path. It emits the foulest of smells and there’s no way to avoid it except walking as fast as you possibly can.

From the start of Carriden until the Upper Forth Boat Club (a 2 km stretch), the JMW goes past industrial structures and this stretch is arguably the least enjoyable. We walk past an information board that informs us about the Roman site of Velunia. In another kilometre or two past the board, there’s Bo’ness harbour. We are excited to hear the whistles of the heritage train. It is lovely out here: lots of colours in July with wildflowers and blood-red poppies, lots of purple buddleia flowers. Scraggly bushes adorned with wild raspberries pop up every now and then. On this section, we meet some dog walkers and families who were out for a walk. The drizzle was on and off for this part of the walk in true Scottish fashion.

Our South Queensferry to Bo’ness walk ends at the Tesco in Bo’ness. If you have some time, meander through Bo’ness. There’s an Art Deco cinema hall called the Hippodrome and some local bakeries where we had an excellent toffee sponge and sausage rolls the last time we were here. Bo’ness also has some beautiful houses, if you like gazing at loveliness. We have two options to return to Edinburgh: Midland Blue F45 to Linlithgow and X38 to Edinburgh (pricier but more frequent), and CityLink 909 straight to Edinburgh (cheaper but fewer services). We ended up with the former because the CityLink bus wasn’t until another 90 minutes. Note that the CityLink 909 bus stop is a steep 17 minute uphill walk from the Tesco. The F45 stop is right outside Tesco.

Note that there aren’t many accommodation options in Bo’ness, so you are better off heading to Linlithgow which has several hotels and BnBs. Also, Bo’ness is home to one of my favourite local attractions: The Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway. If you have some spare time, I highly recommend it. We did last year and enjoyed it.

South Queensferry to Bo’ness Walk: Useful Information

Logistics

• Distance: 15 km / 9.3 miles
• Signage: Excellent throughout.
• Difficulty: Low. Mostly flat with some muddy bits.
• Public transport: Buses connect Edinburgh to both start and finish: South Queensferry and Bo’ness.
• Public Toilets: Available at Queensferry and Bo’ness. At Blackness, you might have to use the facilities at The Lobster Pot.
• Food: Cafes, restaurants, and pubs at Queensferry and Bo’ness. There’s also a Tesco at the end of the path in Bo’ness. At Blackness, there’s The Lobster Pot.

What to Bring

• Comfortable walking shoes
• Weather-appropriate clothing (it can get windy!)
• Camera or smartphone for photos
• Water and light snacks
• Optional: binoculars for spotting birds

Places of Interest Along the Way

• Hopetoun House: One of Scotland’s finest stately homes. Tickets are £14.50 for the house and grounds, £7 for grounds only (2025). You will have access to the North Deer Park, home to red deer.
• Abercorn Church: A quaint church with parts dating back to the 1100s. Accessible on a short detour.
• Blackness Castle: A 15th-century castle on a rocky promontory in Blackness. Tickets are £8.50 (2025) or free with a Historic Environment Scotland membership.
• Antonine Wall: Near Carriden, you can take a detour to see the remains of the Antonine Wall, which protected the province of Britannia from the Caledonian tribes. It starts in Carriden (east of Bo’ness) and runs westwards to West Kilpatrick on the Clyde near Glasgow. With almost 60 km of ramparts, ditches, roads, and approximately 20 forts, it was occupied for over 25 years. Detour required.
• Carriden (Veluniate) Roman Fort: An information board marks the location of the ancient Roman fort of Veluniate (or Velunias).
• Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway: Heritage train offering joy rides from Bo’ness to Kinneil and back. There’s an excellent railway museum next to the station.

Extra Tips

• Start early to enjoy quieter paths and better light for photos
• Check tide times if you plan to explore beaches
• Set aside extra time if you want to visit any of the places of interest listed above
• Respect wildlife and stay on marked paths

South Queensferry to Bo’ness Walk: Conclusion

Overall, it was a lovely walk that was not strenuous at all. It took us a little over 4 hours, including the break at The Lobster Pot. In retrospect, we could have walked the 6 km to Linlithgow, but the rain did catch up with us at Bo’ness and had it not been for the bus shelter, we would have been drenched. This section of the JMW is not very varied, so you run the risk of being bored. We enjoyed looking at all the wildflowers and were elated at the sight of the deer, so we didn’t mind at all. We love an easy nature walk!

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