East Lothian is a coastal county east of Edinburgh. It has also been known as Haddingtonshire. Due to its position there are a number of commuter villages in East Lothian serving Edinburgh, but it is still a place of itself with a great deal of charm.
The East Lothian coast runs along the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and round to the North Sea. Much of this coast is blessed with sandy beaches and a fine climate attracting holidaymakers to resorts such as North Berwick. North of Dunbar is the mouth of the River Tyne, but a far gentler one than its busy namesake further south, entering the North Sea instead in a broad sandy bay. East Lothian is a generally low-lying fertile county, given to farming and fishing.
There are also coal mines, but without leaving East Lothian with a heavily industrialized landscape.
The southernmost part of the county, in stark contrast to most of the shire, is in the Lammermuir Hills, which form a great divide between the Lothians and Berwickshire.
County Facts
County Town: Haddington
Main Towns: Dunbar, Haddington, North Berwick, Prestonpans, Transent, East Linton
Main Rivers: Tyne, Coalstone, Whitewater, Fastna, Peffer.
Highlights: Auld Kirk, North Berwick; Berwick Law; Lammermuir Hills; Haddingtown town walk; Muirfield championship golf course.
Highest Point: Mickle Says Law, 1,755 feet.
Area: 267 sq miles
County Flower: Viper’s-bugloss
