Polton is a small village on the River North Esk in Midlothian, Scotland, and serves as a key access point for exploring the river's dramatic gorge landscape.

Polton Bridge (grid reference NT 288 648) marks the northern starting point of a popular geological and walking excursion that follows the North Esk upstream toward Penicuik.

The gorge between Polton and Roslin cuts deep into Passage Group rocks, including the locally significant Roslin Sandstone, shaped by torrential meltwater at the end of the last ice age.

Rights of way beside the river exist for the full length of the excursion, making Polton a practical trailhead for both half-day and full-day outings.

The village is also noted as the former home of Thomas de Quincey, the 19th-century writer known for Confessions of an English Opium Eater .