Public Toilets on Leith Links 2024
The temporary public toilets on the Links are located beside the low cream coloured (heavily grafittied) building beyond the hedge, behind the tennis courts, in the old bowling greens area of the Links, near the junction of Links Gardens and Johns Place
These toilets are operational 10-6pm daily. Or so we’re told. If you go to use them within those times and find them locked, please email parks@edinburgh.gov.uk to report the date and time you found them locked.
You’d think that installing the temporary public toilets on Leith Links for the summer season would go fairly smoothly, wouldn’t you, considering that this is the fourth year it has been done? Sadly, you’d be wrong.
First, the Council said they wouldn’t install temporary toilets this year, as permanent ones were to be installed.
Then they said they would, because the permanent ones have been delayed indefinitely.
Then they said they didn’t know when they would be installed, but they would let us know. They didn’t.
Then the toilets suddenly appeared, in mid June, without warning – though the Community Council was not informed.
They were not connected up to the water and electricity for some time, and again the Community Council was not kept informed.
They were still not open for public use on 12 July (when there was a World Orienteering Championship held on the Links, with 200 + people attending)
Ar random times between 13 July and the present, the toilets have sometimes been found open and operational, and sometimes / often been locked.
The council tell us they have been operational since 15 July and are open 10am – 6pm daily. We know that is simply not true as we have often found them locked and deserted during those hours.
There has been no sign erected to notify the public that the Portocabin on the bowling greens area is a public toilet. But now (24 July), after repeated requests from the Community Council, one has been affixed to the door at last. Good.
However there are no signs anywhere in the park to alert park users to the fact that the toikets exist at all, and where they are. The community council has fixed up some ‘home made’ signs, to help people find them.
Do use the Comments below to feed back to us your experiences of the toilets and how well they are working out, for the local community.
What’s the situation elsewhere?
Portobello – toilets open 10-6pm at the beach end of Pipe Street, near the food stalls on the Prom. (Other ‘alleged’ toilets at 4 Bath Street – are they open or not?)
Joppa – The restaurant Joppa Rocks at the furthest (east) end of the beach kindly makes its loos available to the public even if you don’t buy anything there. Staff will direct you to an upstairs loo, but there is a downstairs one for anyone with mobility issues.
Inverleith Park – same as Leith Links – temporary toilets but not obvious to visitors, no signage or notice re opening hours etc.
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