This community walk took place along the coast from Wardie Bay to Granton / Royston (the ‘Brick’) Beach to search for flat oyster shells on Remembrance Day for Lost Species.
Date: 30 November 2025.
Time: 2-3.30pm (14.00 – 15.30).
Meet: Wardie Bay, Granton, Edinburgh.
Ending: walk to Granton (Brick) Beach and The Pitt.
We met on November 30th 2025 at 2pm to walk together and find out about the restoration of seagrass habitats and European flat oyster populations in the Firth of Forth – a species which used to be abundant and was fished to local extinction around 100 years ago. Together, we searched for evidence of these flat oysters. There was talking and sharing about the history of the oyster industry in the area. We discussed our concerns for the health of the sea and the species who live in and depend on it.
We anticipate the event lasting 1.5 hours. It may be cold, so please bring a flask of something hot and wear warm clothes and suitable footwear. We will end at The Pitt where a variety of drinks and food will be on sale.
This event has been thought up by Katie Smith from Granton Community Gardeners who is working to gather local knowledge about our wildlife and build a Granton nature restoration plan, and Tamsin Grainger, local walking artist with an interest in local history and community wellbeing.
Cost: Free (you can make a donation to cover costs if you would like to). Everyone is welcome including children and dogs. This walk will be manageable on wheels. We aim to be inclusive and open.
Research and Process
Research was made in advance through consultation with Restoration Forth. An initial meeting / training session was had, and we followed their guidelines in our search for flat oysters. The knowledge gained was jointly presented to members of the public on the walk, who all participated in the search, recording and reporting process.
There was also some collaboration with Edinburgh Shoreline with whom Tamsin previously worked on the 100 Species project.
Walking without a donkey 