forth boat tours

A boat trip down the Firth of Forth is a great way to spend a Saturday morning and to see the city of Edinburgh and Kingdom of Fife from a perspective you’ve never seen before.
The Forth Boat Tours trip, aboard the Forth Belle, leaves from Hawes Pier and takes you first towards the west, past the Forth Road Bridge, before turning around and heading towards the mouth of the Estuary and stopping at the stunning Inchcolm Island. You can choose to get off at Inchcolm (at a cost of £5 per adult which goes to Historic Scotland for access to the island) or to stay on board and return to Hawes Pier. If you choose to get off at Inchcolm Island, you have 90 minutes (not quite enough to thoroughly explore the Augustinian Abbey and world War II embattlements). Take a picnic if you do get off, as the only shop on the island does not sell drinks or food.
Your boat trip is guided with an informative, interesting, and at times witty pre-​recorded commentary. On our return from Inchcolm Island, the captain stopped the boat to give the passengers a chance to look out for seals that normall hang out on a cluster of rocks.
The boat, an 83 ft saloon with outdoor seating at bow (uncovered) and stern (covered), and a fully enclosed, warm, saloon viewing area has toilets, and a bar/​café.
This experience is perfect for tourists and locals alike! For those looking for soemthing a little different, there are salsa dancing, jazz and disco night cruises available too!
£11.00 per adult but look out on Groupon/​living social as we got a very good, discounted deal!

The Maid of the Forth is a boat which sails from Hawes Pier in South Queensferry out into the river forth. The boat has an indoor seating area but if the weather is nice I recommend going out and up onto the top open air deck to really enjoy the experience. The boat has a sailing programme and goes to different places on different days. You can just sail up the river or you can get a trip that visits Inchcolm Island. They also have jazz cruises where you can listen to the band whilst you sail.

There are several boat trips available but the one I took was the trip to Inchcolm Island and back. The trip lasts 75 minutes with the option to get off the boat at Inchcolm Island. You can sit on the outside deck of the boat or in the heated lounge if it is a little cold. There is a pre-​recorded commentry which is very informative. At one point the Captain stopped the boat and switched off the commentry. He then pointed out some puffins and other wild life and gave us some information about them. It was a very enjoyable trip and well worth the money paid.

This place is one of my favourites. Although I’m by no means a frequent visitor to Scotland, I have a list of places that I must visit on each occasion, or I don’t feel I’ve had a fulfilling visit. When I reach Edinburgh, I often find myself frequenting a number of establishments in the city, and this is always one of my highest priorities. You won’t find a better example of this kind of place if you travel from Land’s End to John O’Groats. It gives you a refreshing feeling to just step through the door, and I feel a pang of sorrow when I leave.

A really good tour round the mid-​forth. There is a small bar area downstairs with a range of snacks and drinks (licensed) as well as plenty of seating both inside and out. The commentary is pre-​recorded but knowledgeable and the crew intersperse it with live commentary where appropriate. All the crew were really lovely and happy to chat to my wee boy.
If you catch an early boat, you can spend longer on Inchcolm Island — the minimum stay is 1.5 hours.

Went out for a boat trip in july 2007, was a great trip, weather was ace, Inchcolm is a lovely Island and the staff on the boat and in the ticket office on the pier were very friendly and helpfull. You get great views of the forth bridges and the edinburgh skyline. You are allowed 1 ½ hours ashore on the island which on a sunny day when we were there was a bit too short but still plenty of time to explore the island.
Overall an excellent day out and one I am keen to repeat again