From the Ayr coast to St Andrews ' West Sands, Scotland is renowned for its stunning beaches - however, there is one sandy shore that is completely off-limits to locals and tourists alike.
According to Edinburgh Live, East Leith Sands was previously a part of one of the largest beaches near the capital, however only two strips of the once bustling coastline remain.
Now the area's owners, Fort Ports, have been forced to seal off the last remaining section that was once accessible from Marine Esplanade near Seafield Road due to environmental concerns.
The silent shores are a far from what the beach was like in its heyday, with the area once playing a key role in Edinburgh Life.
Thanks to the extensive flat sands, the annual Leith Races would take place there every summer, going back to at least 1504 when King James IV’s financial records revealed that he made a personal payment to a jockey.
As well as enjoying royal patronage, the races were wildly popular with ordinary people, even taking place in the snowstorm of 1661.
Businesses were frequently closed for the fortnight so that employees could attend, and 19th century historian James Grant describes the fair and entertainments that would accompany it, featuring “roley-poleys, hobby-horses, wheels-of-fortune and many ... strange characters".
Inevitably fights would break out, some extending as far as Leith Walk.
It was one of the few 18th century events that the aristocracy attended in Scotland - most of them went to London for their entertainment and leisure.
But in 1816, the races were moved to Musselburgh as the turf there was considered better for the horses than soft sand.
Although the races moved, the fanfare surrounding them didn’t and it was no longer the great social occasion it had been in Leith.
But it wasn’t all fun and games - the Sands saw their fair share of bloodshed, too.
In 1551, John Davidson was convicted of piracy, and hanged within the floodline of Leith Sands.
He would be the first person on record in Scotland to have his body chained and left for the elements to dispose of - but he wouldn’t be the last.
Although there was no permanent structure there, it seems to have been a popular place for executions, particularly for piracy or other crimes at sea.
In 1610, nine pirates were sentenced to be hanged there “on the sandis of Leyth”.
Captain Thomas Green of the Worcester was executed there along with two of his crew in 1705 - he would go down in history according to a popular folk ballad as “the basest and bloodiest” of pirates, although some sources suggest the evidence on which he was convicted was on the flimsy side.
It was also a popular spot for duels - think that scene in Bridgeton but with the Duke of Hastings looking more windswept thanks to the sea air. You’re welcome.
The 18th and 19th centuries also saw a fad for sea bathing that would rival the wild swimmers of today.
Horse-drawn bathing machines would take the more well-to-do down to the water, whereas the common folk just had to wade in.
In fact, most of Leith Sands was accessible right up until the 1960s, when the harbour became a deep sea port, and East Leith Sands saw sewage pipes empty into the sea.
It's a sad end to a place that used to be one of the centres of Lothian life.
