Home Report South Queensferry

South Queensferry or “The Ferry”, is a town roughly 10 miles to the west of Edinburgh. A former royal burgh of West Lothian, it is now administered by the City of Edinburgh council area. South Queensferry lies on the shore of the Firth of Forth between the Forth Bridge, Forth Road Bridge and the Queensferry Crossing. While not often referred to, the prefix “South” serves to distinguish it from North Queensferry, on the opposite shore of the Forth. Both towns derive their name from the ferry service established by Queen Margaret in the 11th century, which continued to operate at the town until 1964 when the Road Bridge was opened.

Today, South Queensferry is a commuter town home to around 9,300 residents. The vast majority travel to work in nearby Edinburgh city centre, with some also travelling to the towns of Dunfermline and Livingston. Transport links are well developed for commuters, the Dalmeny railway station connects to Edinburgh on the Fife Circle route, and travel time is about 35 to just over 40 minutes depending on the service. Buses are numerous and can reach Edinburgh in about 25 – 30 minutes. Car users can join the A9000 and then A90 for direct travel in about the same amount of time as buses.

South Queensferry is regarded as an attractive town due to its property types and position on the Firth of Forth. It has plenty of things to things to see and do from cafes to restaurants to your usual chain stores and independent businesses. It has some historical significance, with it being once a royal burgh and having a thriving port, at one time being the main point to board ferries over to Fife. All of this and more can be explored at the Queensferry Museum. Nowadays, the ports predominantly ferry people over to explore the wildlife and history of the islands of the Forth, including Inchcolm, where there are ruins of a 12th century Abbey and First and Second World War defences can still be explored. The town is also a great place to start a scenic coastal walk by joining the John Muir Way and following it through Dalmeny Estate and towards Cramond village to the east.

Additionally, the town has some local traditions that must be mentioned. The Ferry Fair dates from the 12th century and the modern inception, dating from the 1930s, takes place each August for a week. It includes lots of events and attractions notably the crowning of a local schoolgirl as the Ferry Fair Queen, accompanied by a Ferry Fair Court of other schoolchildren, a procession of floats, pipe bands, and competitive events such as the Boundary Race. Within the Ferry Fair is a unique event, where the Burry Man – a man selected to be covered in burdock plant fruits – is selected to be covered in them from head to toe, leaving on the shoes, hands, and two eye holes exposed. On top of this layer, he wears a sash, flowers and a floral hat and he grasps two staves. His ability to bend his arms or sit down is very restricted during the long day and his progress is a slow walk with frequent pauses. Two attendants in ordinary clothes assist him throughout the ordeal, helping him hold the staves, guiding his route, and fortifying him with whisky sipped through a straw, whilst enthusiastic children go from door-to-door collecting money on his behalf. The key landmarks on the tour are the provost’s office and each pub in the village. It’s all in good fun though and helps to raise money for the Fair and local causes. If the Burry Man does not go ahead, it is believed bad luck will come to the town as a result.

The Loony Dook is another popular event whereby people dive into the freezing waters of the Firth of Forth on New Year’s Day, quite often in fancy dress. In recent years the event has attracted people from all over the world, including many people visiting Edinburgh to celebrate Hogmanay. A proposal to charge people to participate in this event was introduced in 2011, the proceeds of which benefit RNLI Queensferry.

As for local schooling then, South Queensferry has four primary schools: Echline Primary, Queensferry Primary, St Margaret’s RC Primary and Dalmeny Primary. There is one secondary school, Queensferry High School, with Kirkliston Primary also part of its catchment area.