No-one seems to know where the name Dubilaka Cliffs came from.
Dubilaka Cliffs on the outskirts of Edinburgh is for wildflower lovers, campfire setters, bird-watchers and photography buffs. It’s off-road, secreted behind industrial units, frequented by foxes and seagulls, and has sand underfoot.
The name is given to what might initially look like a scrubby piece of high-ish ground overlooking Edinburgh’s Firth of Forth, but it’s not easy to access and lovely and private when you get there.
It runs from the Western Breakwater (the western-most of three arms that enclose and dissect Granton Harbour) on West Shore Road. Look for an opening by a billboard, squeeze through the undergrowth, make a 90-degree turn upriver where you’ll see what I call my brick beach to your right and a desire path stretching ahead. There is a green dotted line on g-maps if you set it to ‘cycling’, opposite the words Granton Walled Garden. Alternatively, you can access it at the other end via the cycle path entrance to the Silverknowes Esplanade.
This was one of my go-to perambulations during the Covid-19 pandemic. Overlooking Granton Beach, the ‘cliffs’ are only a few metres above sea level, and ou can see the Forth Rail Bridge and spectacular sunsets, take great lungfuls of fresh air and relax with your flask of hot chocolate.
Below Dubilaka Cliffs is General’s Rock, Long Craig and Granton Point, and in the distance the Kingdom of Fife. Simply enjoy!