Hidden Scotland
Sign in

Welcome to
Lothian.

Glenkinchie Distillery · Lothian
Lothian

Glenkinchie Distillery.

Read about it
 
0108
The Bass Rock, Lothian  10° · Cloudy
Lothian

Where to go, eat and stay in Lothian.

Bright, breezy days suit the East Lothian coast, with the Bass Rock and its gannets out in the Forth. The Lothians wrap round Edinburgh on three sides, so all of this is a short train or bus ride from the city.

Clifftop castles, Rosslyn Chapel and a watermillPlaces to visitSandy bays, the Bass Rock and the coast pathBeaches and the outdoorsLobster by the harbour, bakeries and seaside cafésFood and drinkShops, studios and makersShops and makersFarm cottages below the Pentland HillsPlaces to stayDays we have driven, stop by stopDays out
The guide

Our guide to Lothian.

All of Lothian, part by part: what is where, how to get round, and where to eat and stay. Photographed by us.

Read the guide to Lothian
NewNew this week

Vogrie Country Park

A Victorian estate in the Midlothian countryside, Scotland's second country park, with Vogrie House of 1876, woodland walks down to the River Tyne and a miniature railway.

Find out more about Vogrie Country Park
PubsFor today's weatherLothianChampany InnRestaurantLothianThe Bridge InnRestaurantLothianThe Balerno InnRestaurantEdinburghThe Ship InnRestaurant

A pint by the fire.

Pubs with good food, and the fire lit by October.

See all the pubs
73 views
WildlifeThis weekSeen twice · DunbarPink-footed gooseSeen once · East LothianWhooper swanSeen onceDipperSeen once · FifeOtter

The wildlife people spotted in Lothian this week.

These are the animals people have reported most in Lothian and nearby in the last seven days, the most seen first. Every sighting is logged with a photograph or a recording on iNaturalist, the wildlife recording site, and each card opens them on its map.

From our guideNear North BerwickTantallon CastleDirletonDirleton Castle & GardensEast LintonHailes CastleEast LintonPreston MillDunbarDunbar CastleDunbarJohn Muir's Birthplace

The history of Lothian.

People have farmed and fought over the Lothians for thousands of years.

Read it
Hidden Scotland, the magazineThe magazine

Issue 13

The autumn and winter issue is here.

Get Issue 13
Days outA morningA walk in Pressmennan Wood by the lakeBy carA morningA walk up the Kirk Road into the Pentland HillsBy carA morningA walk along the Tyne from East Linton to Hailes CastleBy carA morningThe riverside walk in Haddington from Nungate BridgeBy carA morningVogrie Country Park and lunch at Dalhousie CastleBy carA morningA walk to Barns Ness lighthouse from WhitesandsBy car

New days out in Lothian.

Ready-made days, the newest first, each with its drive times, its stops and somewhere to eat.

See every day out in Lothian
From the magazine9 minutes agoThe printed copy of Issue 06Issue 06Spring / Summer 2023

Stephanie Lothian, who runs The Barn holiday cottage on the edge of North Berwick in East Lothian, has a few tips for a day at Seacliff, her family's favourite beach.

Of Seacliff she says, 'This was my dad’s favourite beach and now it’s ours'. Her advice starts before you reach the sand: bring coins for the farmer's barrier on the track down, follow the dirt track to park, then take the path to the beach. Head west along the shore to marvel at the view of Tantallon Castle from a tiny working harbour. And when you leave, you drive under an arched bridge, so look back and take a picture of the Bass Rock framed by the arch.

See Seacliff · Lothian
Things to do21 minutes agoLothianDunbar Clifftop Path to Belhaven BayWalkLothianSula Boat TripsTourEdinburghEscape SaunaActivity

Something to do in Lothian.

Six of ours, a different six each day.

See all of them in Lothian
In Lothian46 minutes ago

Glenkinchie Distillery in East Lothian has been named Scotland's leading distillery tour at the World Travel Awards for the second year running.

The distillery at Pencaitland runs a guided tasting through its history, and a Flavour and Cask Experience that takes you behind the scenes to taste whisky drawn straight from the cask.

See Glenkinchie Distillery · Lothian
Places to visit58 minutes agoLothianThe Creel LoadersAttractionLothianDirleton Castle & GardensAttractionLothianDunbar High StreetAttractionEdinburghPortobello’s High StreetAttractionLothianNewhailesAttractionLothianTyninghame LinksAttraction

Somewhere to go in Lothian.

Six of ours, a different six each day.

See all of them in Lothian
Quiz1 hour ago

In 1815 a golfer bet a gallon of whisky that he could hit a ball from Bruntsfield Links in Edinburgh over Arthur's Seat. How many strokes did it take?

Did you know3 hours ago

The first fully commercial oil works in the world opened at Bathgate, in West Lothian, in 1851.

It belonged to the chemist James Young, who distilled oil from minerals mined nearby, among them torbanite and bituminous coal, and turned it into naphtha and lubricating oils. From 1856 his company also sold paraffin, and the paraffin oil it sold around the world earned him the name Paraffin Young. He was a lifelong friend of David Livingstone and gave generously towards Livingstone's expeditions in Africa. West Lothian's oil-shale industry peaked around 1892 with 120 works, before cheaper petroleum from Russia and America had almost ended it by 1919.

A recreated cottage interior at the Skye Museum of Island Life.Read about it