Cramond & Silverknowes
Flat estuary water inside the Edinburgh city boundary — convenient, gusty, and next to a causeway that strands people.
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● Spot · shaded: the wind directions that work here. It is not a riding area or a permitted kite zone. Two fingers to move the map.
Location & launch
Know before you go.
- Launch
- Promenade and shallow foreshore inside the Edinburgh city boundary, with the Cramond causeway to the island nearby.
- Wind
- N · NNE · NE · ENE · E winds work here.
The shaded area shows the wind directions recorded as working here. It is not a permitted kite zone or a safe launch boundary. Check local signs.
Local rules, hazards & spot guide
Need to know
The things that catch people out here.
- The Cramond Island causeway floods twice a day and strands people with tedious regularity. Know the tide.
- Gusty urban wind. It is convenient rather than good.
- Water quality in the Forth here varies after heavy rain.
- Longniddry or Belhaven are far better beaches if you can spare the drive.
Conditions
- Best
- Works
- Offshore
- Works in
- N, NNE, NE, ENE, E
- Best in
- NE
- Offshore (careful)
- ESE, SE, SSE, S, SSW, SW
- Wind quality
- gusty
- Water
- Flat
- Depth
- standing
- Best tide
- Mid tide
- Spring range
- 5 m
Urban shoreline with trees and buildings behind — the wind is noticeably gustier than the open coast.
- Beginner
- Good
- Intermediate
- Good
- Advanced
- Workable
Hazards
Most serious first. The level is in words as well as colour.
- high
tidal cutoff The Cramond Island causeway floods twice a day and people are cut off on the island regularly enough that there are permanent warning signs.
- medium
pollution Urban estuary; water quality varies after rain.
- medium
crowds Busy promenade with walkers, cyclists and dogs.
- medium
wind shadow Trees and buildings behind make the wind gusty.
Access & rules
- Launch
- Promenade and shallow foreshore inside the Edinburgh city boundary, with the Cramond causeway to the island nearby.
- Permit
- Not required
- Insurance
- Third-party liability expected
- Tuition
- Permitted
- Facilities
- toilets, cafe
Parking
- Silverknowes Promenade parking
free
Safety
Who is around if it goes wrong. None of it makes the water safe.
- Lifeguards
- None
- RNLI
- Queensferry RNLI
- Nearest A&E
- Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh (~25 min)
- Water quality
- Designated bathing water — sufficient
The spot
Cramond and Silverknowes give Edinburgh riders flat, sheltered Forth water without leaving the city. It is rideable after work, the parking is free and the promenade behind is pleasant.
It is not a good spot so much as a convenient one. Trees and buildings behind make the wind gusty and shifty, and water quality in this part of the Forth is variable after rain. The Cramond Island causeway floods twice a day and people are stranded on the island often enough that there are permanent warning signs. Longniddry and Belhaven are both materially better if you have the drive time.
Sources
Where this record came from, and how confident we are in it.
- Windfinder — Silverknowes / Cramond Beach
Checked 2026-09-07 · coordinates, wind
- Kitesurfing Scotland (archived) — Cramond & Silverknowes
Checked 2026-09-23 · wind
- Kitesurfing UK (archived) — Cramond & Silverknowes
Checked 2026-09-23 · wind
- Windsurf Now — Cramond & Silverknowes
Checked 2026-09-23 · wind
Verify locally. Coordinates 55.9797, -3.2861. Conditions, access arrangements and beach rules change; check them on the day before you rely on anything on this page.