Scottish Half Marathon

Walk
The event starts at Meadowmill Sports Centre. Your Event Information Pack will give you a map of the area so you can work out the walking options available to you from where you are travelling from.

Event Bus (Participants)
There will be Scottish Half Marathon Event Buses servicing Newcraighall Park and Ride, Musselburgh Grammar School and Wallyford Park & Ride for those running in the Scottish Half Marathon. You can buy a ticket for this service from the shop.

This Event Bus service will operate between the parking locations and Meadowmill Sports Centre (start) before the Half Marathon, and from Linkfield Road (finish) back to the parking locations after the Half Marathon.

Bus Departure Time

The Event Bus service will operate from 08:00 to 16:00. It will cease servicing Meadowmill Sports Centre at 10:30 ahead of the Half Marathon starting at 11.00. The journey will take approx. 30 minutes.

You can download your bus ticket from your My Running account within two weeks of the event. One ticket is required per person.

Please note: bus tickets are non-refundable and cannot be exchanged.

2024 SHM - Participant and Spectator bus ticket

The parking locations serviced by the event bus are Newcraighall Park & Ride, Musselburgh Grammar School and Wallyford Park & Ride.

This event bus service will operate between the parking locations and Meadowmill Sports Centre (start) before the Half Marathon, and from Linkfield Road (finish) back to the parking locations after the Half Marathon.

Bus Departure Time
The event bus service will operate from 08:15 to 16:30. It will cease servicing Meadowmill Sports Centre at 10:30 ahead of the Half Marathon starting at 11:00. The journey will take approx. 25 minutes.

You can download your bus ticket from your MyRunning account within two weeks of the event. One ticket is required per person.

Please note: bus tickets are non-refundable and cannot be exchanged. You will need to purchase 1 ticket per person using the service.

Public Bus
If you are travelling within Edinburgh and East Lothian, both Lothian Buses and East Coast Buses offer services on event day. Lothian Bus number 26 services Edinburgh, Musselburgh (finish area) and Prestonpans (start area) while the numbers 30 and 44 all service Musselburgh. East Coast Bus numbers 106, 113, 124 and 140 service Musselburgh (124 also services Prestonpans).

For further information please visit www.lothianbuses.com or www.eastcoastbuses.co.uk. Please be advised that due to road closures for the event, traffic may be rerouted through Musselburgh and take longer than advertised on your route planner.

Train
Trains travelling to East Lothian from Edinburgh on Sunday 24th September will be replaced with rail replacement buses.

Please note these journeys may take longer than the usual train route, so please plan ahead in order to get to the start line on time.

Wallyford Train Station is a 20 minute walk away from the Scottish Half Marathon finish line at Musselburgh Racecourse.

Wallyford Train Station, The Loan, Wallyford, EH21 8AA.
Prestonpans Train Station is a 15 minute walk from the Scottish Half Marathon start line at Meadowmill Sports Centre.

Prestonpans Train Station, Johnnie Cope’s Road, Prestonpans, EH32 9ES

There is extremely limited parking in Musselburgh town centre and no parking available at Meadowmill Sports Centre.

There is limited parking available for participants at Musselburgh Racecourse car park via Balcarres Road from 07:30 at a cost. Parking will be on a first come first served basis.

Parking at Newcraighall Park and Ride, Musselburgh Grammar School and Wallyford Park & Ride is free but on a first come, first served basis. Please arrive in plenty of time to park and travel to your start line, bearing in mind that the later you arrive, the greater the risk of the parking spaces being taken.

Please note that it is not possible to drop off Half Marathon runners at Meadowmill Sports Centre, nor on Gardiner Terrace. Runners attempting to be dropped off at these locations in previous years have caused disruption to other road users and the event itself. Runner drop off should take place at Prestonpans Train Station, which is a 15 minute walk from the Half Marathon start line at Meadowmill Sports Centre.

PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO PARK YOUR CAR AT MEADOWMILL SPORTS CENTRE, OR THE RESIDENTIAL STREETS OF MUSSELBURGH OR PRESTONPANS.

The continuing success of the event depends upon the support of the local community and sadly last year, despite parking restrictions being in place we experienced massive problems with runners and spectators parking illegally, blocking bus routes, residents driveways and even cars being abandoned on the pavements making it impossible for people using wheelchairs or parents with prams to use the pavement, instead being forced onto the open road to pass.

If you are parking anywhere over the event weekend, please do so legally and with respect to those who live in these areas, however please note that parking in Musselburgh, Prestonpans and the surrounding areas is restricted and for residents only.

Police Scotland, East Lothian Council and Scottish Half Marathon organisers take this issue very seriously and the following measures will be in operation:

- There will be marshals in place to enforce parking restrictions. Only residents will be issued passes to access the restricted areas.

- The drivers of all vehicles parked illegally will be fined.

- Any vehicles parked illegally and causing obstruction or congestion will be towed away.

Please help us by planning your travel in advance of the event weekend and where possible, leave the car and choose one of the many transport options available.

Start: Meadowmill Sports Centre, EH33 1LZ

Finish: Musselburgh Racecourse, EH21 7RE