Port Seton & Cockenzie

Port Seton and Cockenzie are characterful fishing villages which have pretty much joined together into 1 village with 2 harbours!  They lie on the Firth of Forth 13miles (21km) east of Edinburgh.

Like many places in the area Cockenzie grew with the advent of coal mining and the need to export the ‘black diamonds’. It was also a centre for salt panning whereby salt is extracted from the seawater in metal pans heated over coal fires.

Port Seton was built as a harbour in 1656 by the 11th Lord Seton, who had his residence further inland at Seton Palace, and grew into a fishing harbour. After the Jacobite Rising in 1715, the Seton’s lost their estate and management of the mining assets passed to the York Building Company. In 1722 they built the Tranent Wagonway, Scotland’s first railway carrying coal from Tranent to Cockenzie. The Wagonway was later used to transport troops to the Battle of Prestonpans in the 2nd Jacobite Rising in 1745.

Today, fishing is still an important part of the community and there are excellent fish mongers selling the freshest local catch. Not to mention fish and chip shops!

Seton Sands Holiday Village is located here, just a short walk from the beach making it a great destination for families.