The county has a varied topography. Its northern boundary is the shoreline of the Firth of Forth; to the East is the North Sea ; the southern extremity is marked by the Lammermuir Hills; and in between is mostly the prime agricultural land that gave the county its reputation as the Garden County of Scotland.
Before Musselburgh was welcomed to the fold, there were five main towns (with a population of over 5,000) in the county – the former mining towns of Tranent and Prestonpans in the West, the wealthy Royal Burgh of North Berwick, the fishing port of Dunbar to the East and, in the centre the ancient market town of Haddington. Haddington was the former county town of East Lothian – indeed the county was formerly called Haddingtonshire. There are also numerous picturesque villages.
Getting around
Dunbar lies on the main East Coast railway line between London and Edinburgh . North Berwick is also served by frequent train services to and from the capital. Trains call at Longniddry, Prestonpans and Musselburgh. There are fairly extensive bus services, mostly linking places in East Lothian with Edinburgh .
But because the county is largely rural, it is probably best to have a car.
For the visitor
Wildlife and golf are abundant and will be covered later. Apart from those, there is little of interest to the visitor in the West of the county, although do make time to stop in Musselburgh for an ice cream from the famous Luca’s emporium, one of Scotland’s finest ice-cream manufacturers. There is a racecourse in Musselburgh, should your visit happen to coincide with a race day and you might be able to take in some culture at the town’s Brunton Theatre.
The only other major visitor attraction is the Prestongrange Industrial Heritage Museum at Prestonpans. There is a memorial to the 1745 Battle of Prestonpans, commemorating the defeat of government forces by the Jacobites.
As you leave Edinburgh further behind and reach the central and eastern parts of the county, the county becomes more attractive. You enter a world of satellite towns and villages from which large numbers of the populace commute to work in Edinburgh . These are all in fairly close proximity to each other.
Following the coastal trail along the Firth of Forth takes you past the sleepy village of Longniddry and through the conservation village of Aberlady to Aberlady Bay , once Scotland ’s largest seaport. The sea at Longniddry is popular for wind surfing. More of Aberlady Bay follows later in the wildlife section.
Gullane is next. This is one of the county’s largest villages and boasts one of Scotland ’s finest beaches, as well as one of the country’s best restaurants, La Potiniere.
Gullane contains numerous exquisite large houses, many of which were owned by wealthy businessmen and were used as holiday homes in Victorian and Edwardian times. Most of these fine homes have been divided into smaller dwellings but are still very desirable and expensive properties.
A couple of miles further on is Dirleton, a small, photogenic village with a large castle at its centre. Dirleton has often featured among the prize-winners in the Best-Kept Villages awards. Built around a village green, it has a vaguely English feel. The gardens inside the castle grounds make a visit to the castle a must. http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/p...
North Berwick is a prestigious town with a dark past, as it was the scene of witch burning in the 16th century! The arrival of the railway brought a gilded age to the town, which styled itself the Biarritz of the North. During this time, many wealthy families from London society established summer homes in the town.
Nowadays the town makes for a pleasant day trip or a long weekend. As well as golf and boat tours, visitors can relax on two fine beaches, play putting or tennis or climb North Berwick Law, a volcanic plug on the town’s southern edge for unparalleled views in all directions. The award-winning Scottish Seabird Centre http://www.seabird.org/home.asp is not to be missed.
Continue eastwards along the coast and you will pass Tantallon Castle , another Historic Scotland property and the villages of Whitekirk and Tyninghame before reaching Dunbar .
Dunbar boasts more hours of sunshine than anywhere else in Scotland . Visitors can tour the Belhaven Brewery and have lunch in The Rocks, a new restaurant opened in 2006. On the outskirts of the town is the John Muir Country Park , a haven for nature lovers and walkers alike.
Head back westwards along the A1 towards Edinburgh and your first port of call is East Linton. The National Trust for Scotland runs the impressive Preston Mill and Phantassie Doocot. The mill is extremely popular with artists. There are lots of bonnie houses in the village and a pleasant waterfall. The village square has a fountain with gold cherubs around it. There are three Inns in the village, The Crown Hotel, The Linton Hotel and the Drovers Inn (which is shut at present - April 2008). There is also a tearoom, The Votodini, in the main street and another at Smeaton Gardens which has a pleasant lake to walk around, at the NE of the village. There's also a really nice walk from East Linton to Hailes Castle. The repaired walk along the River Tyne is worth doing, though a little rough and takes around 45 mins to an hour. http://walking.visitscotland.com/walk...
Learn about the history of Scotland ’s national flag, the Saltire at the village of Athelstaneford (astonish the locals and pronounce it as they do, Elshinford) and visit the nearby Museum of Flight at East Fortune, where you can board Concorde.
Finally Haddington, birthplace of the Protestant Reformationist John Knox is the administrative centre of the county. Visit St Mary’s Collegiate Church, known as the Lamp of Lothian, the largest parish church in Scotland . The Duke of Hamilton’s home, Lennoxlove House to the south of the town has associations with Mary, Queen of Scots and houses an impressive art collection. A little further south, in the foothills of the Lammermuir Hills lies Gifford, an enchanting village boasting two hotels serving excellent meals, the Tweeddale Arms and the Goblin Ha’.
Wildlife
The county’s wildlife is mainly of interest to bird-watchers, especially water birds. Aberlady Bay is world-renowned for the huge flocks of geese that winter there as well as large numbers of waders and other shore birds. Musselburgh Lagoons are also home to large numbers of waterfowl.
The estuary of the River Tyne at Tyninghame, between North Berwick and Dunbar is also home to large numbers of birds. Dunbar was the birthplace of John Muir, the father of the US National Parks system.
From North Berwick harbour, boat trips are run to the island of Fidra and around the Bass Rock, one of the world’s foremost seabird breeding sites. There are also seals, which are inquisitive enough to check approaching boats and, if you’re lucky you might encounter dolphins. There is a fascinating article on the Bass Rock at http://www.north-berwick.co.uk/bassRo...
A recent addition to North Berwick ’s harbour area is one of Scotland ’s most prestigious visitor centres, the Scottish Seabird Centre. http://www.seabird.org
Golf
Golf is undoubtedly the major visitor draw in East Lothian , particularly the Golf Coast stretching from Longniddry to North Berwick , which takes in no fewer than 12 top-class courses, including the world-famous Muirfield, a frequent host to the Open Championship. http://www.north-berwick.co.uk/golf.asp
Musselburgh is home to the world’s oldest playing golf course, dating from 1672 and it hosted the Open Championship 6 times during the tournament’s early years. Prestonpans is home to the Royal Musselburgh Golf Club.
Beginning at Longniddry and heading eastwards, the Golf Coast comprises Longniddry, the new Craigielaw course an Kilspindie, both at Aberlady, Luffness between Aberlady and Gullane, Gullane Numbers 1, 2 and 3, Muirfield, 2 new courses at Archerfield between Gullane and Dirleton and the West Links and Glen course at North Berwick .
Heading further round the course there is also a lovely new golf club at the village of Whitekirk and two courses at Dunbar, Dunbar Golf Club and Winterfield. Finally, further inland there are courses at the county town of Haddington and the village of Gifford , nestling in the foothills of the Lammermuir Hills.
Where to stay
Most visitors to the county are likely to make Edinburgh their base. Getting to East Lothian from the capital is easy.
For those who choose to stay in the county, there are many small hotels in East Lothian . The only really large hotel is the Marine Hotel in North Berwick , which was recently purchased and renovated by the Macdonald Group. There are plentiful guest houses and B&Bs throughout the county that offer a good standard of accommodation.
Camp and caravan sites are also available. Indeed the site at Yellowcraigs by Dirleton is reckoned to be one of the country’s best.
More information can be found at www.visiteastlothian.org or www.visitscotland.com – click on Edinburgh and the Lothians.
Tips
There are numerous marked paths for walkers throughout the county. In 2005 the Scottish Parliament introduced Right to Roam legislation that gives walkers statutory rights of public access to most of Scotland ’s land and water, providing these are exercised responsibly.
If you plan to visit a number of castles, get in touch with Historic Scotland at http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/ as they might be able to offer temporary membership, which will allow free entry to their properties. If you are a member of a similar organisation, such as English Heritage there might be a reciprocal arrangement.
It might also be worth contacting the National Trust for Scotland at http://www.nts.org.uk/web/site/home/h... and ask about Discovery tickets, which are short-term memberships of 3, 7 or 14 days. There are also reciprocal arrangements with similar organisations such as the National Trust.
This link will give you more information about attractions in East Lothian http://www.visiteastlothian.org/home.asp
