Granton Harbour Webcam – Check Sea Conditions on the Forth

The Granton Harbour Webcam looks out from the Royal Forth Yacht Club on Edinburgh’s north shore, across the club’s moorings in the East Harbour to the long stone breakwaters and the Firth of Forth. It is a moving camera. In a little under nine minutes it works through twelve preset positions: the boatyard, the old timber pier and its gangway, the launch pontoon, the beach at the head of the harbour and a full zoom out over Wardie Bay that shows the state of the sea. Yachts swing on their buoys as the tide turns, and the light on the water changes by the hour.

About Granton Harbour

Granton Harbour lies about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) north of Edinburgh city centre. Walter, the 5th Duke of Buccleuch, began building it in 1836 on the estate of his house, Caroline Park, after taking advice from the lighthouse engineer Robert Stevenson. The first part of the Middle Pier opened on 28 June 1838, the day of Queen Victoria’s coronation, and was named the Victoria Jetty in her honour. Work carried on almost without a break until 1863. Two breakwaters, each 915 meters (3,000 feet) long, enclose the basin, and a 519 meter (1,700 foot) central pier divides it into the West Harbour and the East Harbour. A clock tower and lighthouse once stood at the end of that central pier.

The harbour made railway history in 1850, when the paddle steamer Leviathan began carrying railway carriages across the Forth to Burntisland in Fife, the first train ferry in the world. Thomas Bouch designed the ramps and platforms that let the carriages on and off across the Forth’s large tidal range. Until the Forth Bridge opened in 1890, Granton was the main link between Edinburgh and the north, and car and passenger ferries kept running until around the time the Forth Road Bridge was built. A sizeable fishing fleet once worked from here too, though almost nothing of it remains. Much of the West Harbour has since been filled in, first for industry and later for housing, and a new marina has been created.

The Royal Forth Yacht Club was founded in 1868 as the Granton Yacht Club and held its first regatta in 1869. It became the Forth Yacht Club in 1872, and Queen Victoria granted the Royal title in 1883. Today it runs a racing and cruising programme, keeps its own serviced moorings with a manned launch service out to them, and has a large boatyard for storage and maintenance. On camera the yard shows motor cruisers and yachts propped up on cradles beside a weathered shed on timber piles, with modern apartment blocks rising behind. Each preset holds still for about 15 seconds, and the name of the next position appears on screen while the camera swings toward it.

Weather and Climate in Granton

Granton faces north onto the open firth, so the weather arrives off the water. Average figures for 2016 to 2025 put January highs around 7 C (45 F) and lows near 2 C (36 F). Around the winter solstice the sun is up for less than seven hours, so the camera spends much of a December day in low, slanting light. Spring warms slowly. April highs reach about 12 C (54 F), and April is usually the driest month of the year here.

July brings highs around 19 C (66 F) and lows near 12 C (54 F), and at the June solstice daylight stretches to more than 17 and a half hours. This is also when the haar, the cold sea fog of the east coast, can roll in off the firth and swallow the breakwaters while the city behind them stays in sunshine. Autumn is the wet season. October highs drop to about 13 C (55 F) with lows near 7 C (45 F), and October through December bring the most rain.

Things to Do Near Granton Harbour

Granton has more to see than its piers. The Victorian gasholder, a landmark of the area’s industrial past, opened to the public as a park in 2025. Granton Castle, first recorded in 1479, survives only in fragments, but its walled garden is now kept as a community garden. The Madelvic building, put up in 1898 to make electric cars, is the oldest surviving car factory building in Britain. Head west along the shore and the promenade runs past Silverknowes to Cramond, where a tidal causeway leads out to Cramond Island at low water, so check the tide times before setting out.

Eastward, the coast leads to the old fishing harbour at Newhaven and on to Leith, where the Royal Yacht Britannia is moored at Ocean Terminal and open for tours. Inland, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh fills a large part of Inverleith on the way back toward the city centre.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

For more water and more of Scotland, try one of these next.

• Arthur’s Seat Webcam
• Ullapool Webcam
• Cork Harbour Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Granton Harbour located?

Granton Harbour is on the south shore of the Firth of Forth in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland, about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the city centre. Burntisland in Fife lies across the water, at the other end of the old ferry route.

What can you see on the Granton Harbour Webcam?

The camera tours the Royal Forth Yacht Club’s yard, the timber pier and gangway, the launch pontoon, moorings across the East Harbour, the beach at its head and a zoomed view over Wardie Bay. Moored yachts, the breakwaters and the shore houses beyond appear in most positions.

Why does the Granton Harbour Webcam keep moving?

The club has programmed the camera to cycle through twelve preset positions in just under nine minutes, pausing about 15 seconds at each one. The label on screen names the position it is heading to, and the tour then starts again from the yard.

What is the weather like at Granton Harbour?

Mild and changeable. Winter highs sit around 7 C (45 F) and July highs around 19 C (66 F), with the wettest weather from October to December. Spring and early summer can bring haar, a sea fog that hides the harbour for hours.

When was Granton Harbour built?

Construction began in 1836 for the 5th Duke of Buccleuch, the first part of the Middle Pier opened on 28 June 1838, and work on the breakwaters and wharves continued until 1863.

Did the world’s first train ferry sail from Granton?

Yes. In 1850 the paddle steamer Leviathan began carrying railway carriages between Granton and Burntisland, on ramps designed by Thomas Bouch. The service was the main rail link to Fife until the Forth Bridge opened in 1890.

Which yacht clubs are based at Granton Harbour?

Two clubs sail from the harbour: the Royal Forth Yacht Club, founded in 1868, which operates this camera, and the Forth Corinthian Yacht Club, founded in 1880.

Source: Royal Forth Yacht Club