{Scotland} North Queensferry Pierhead Play Park

This past weekend we visited the village of North Queensferry, just across the Firth of Forth in Fife. Our main objective was to walk across the Forth Road Bridge (more on that in a separate post), but I had seen there was a playground marked on the map near the North Queensferry train station, so we decided to take a little detour and check it out before heading to the start of the bridge crossing. 

I’m so glad we did, because it’s hands down one of the most beautiful playgrounds we have ever visited. All the play equipment was made of wood, which is so much nicer than metal and plastic, and best of all, it was nautically themed to fit in with its seashore location. There was a beautiful wooden play boat, with a cute octopus peeking over the side, and the climbing tower was a lighthouse, complete with telescope.

And then there were the views! Absolutely stunning. My husband said he could have sat there all day on the bench, looking out over the water with the three famous Forth bridges. In fact, he wanted to drop everything and move to North Queensferry then and there, lol.

Although the playground is probably best suited for toddlers and juniors – my 7 year had an absolute ball! – my 11 year old still enjoyed the swings and the balancing logs (though he was too tall for the monkey bars). 

Just around the corner from the playground, you can also visit the world’s smallest operational light tower, which was a fun and quirky thing to do that both boys really enjoyed. Whether you’re combining North Queensferry with a walk across the bridge, or just looking for a one-stop destination for a day out, this playground gets a firm double thumbs up from the whole family and should definitely be included in your visit!

Gallery

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Playground Stats

Name: Pierhead Play Park
Location: Main Street, North Queensferry 
Map coordinates: 56.00803, -3.39549
Best for: Toddlers, Juniors
Ground cover: Rubber
Rating: Double thumbs up 
Last visited on: 4 June 2022

Play Equipment

• Swings
• Toddler swings 
• Seesaw
• Rotating climbing net
• Wooden play boat with slide
• Lighthouse themed climbing tower with telescope and slide 
• Monkey bars
• Balancing/ stepping logs
• Spring board animals 
• Hammock

Facilities

• Benches
• Picnic table
• Stunning views 

How to get there

If you’re coming from Edinburgh, North Queensferry train station is just a 10 minute walk away. It’s all down hill though, so going back up the hill to the train station may take you a little longer. For travel from Fife there’s also the West Sands bus stop on Main Road, just 3 minutes walk away, which is serviced by a couple of local Fife buses, though they seem to be mostly aligned to the school timetables.

We had a little trouble finding the playground at first. The location pin when you search for it on Google maps isn’t quite in the right place, so the co-ordinates I’ve given above is where it actually is, not where Google maps says it is. Basically, just follow Main Street downhill right to the end and then turn right at the light tower. It looks like a lane leading to houses, rather than a public path, but the entrance to the playground is on the left hand side after you’ve turned.

---

Check out our A to Z map of public playgrounds in Edinburgh to plan your next playground visit, and let us know your favourites that you think we should check out in the comments below. (I know North Queensferry is not in Edinburgh, it’s in Fife, but it was just too great a playground not to sneak on to the map!)