What's on inEast Lothian

East Lothian is one of 32 Scottish council areas and a lieutenancy area. Located in the south east of Scotland its administrative center is Haddington and it borders Edinburgh, Midlothian and the Scottish Borders region. The county of East Lothian was abolished in 1975 and was bordered by Berwick to the south and Midlothian to the west.

The new council area was created in 1996 and was made up of the former county of East Lothian as well as the Inveresk area and the burgh of Musselburgh.

East Lothian is blessed with everything from spectacular coastline (including untouched golden beaches and fantastic views out to sea), charming and beguiling villages, whiskey distilleries, fine country walks high up in the Pentland Hills, and the thrill of horse racing in the towns, to some of the finest old castles and ruins in Scotland.

The remains of Dirleton Castle, for example, sit atop a rocky crag and surrounded by beautiful gardens (with the longest herbaceous border in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records). Also worth seeing are Hailes Castle, one of Scotlands oldest surviving stone castles from the 13th century that sits beside the River Tyne, as well as Tantallon Castle, Lennoxlove House and the quite beautiful Seton Collegiate Church in Longniddry, dating from the 15th century.

For those who want to get outdoors, the region is offers hundreds of walking trails and miles of parkland and for golf fanatics there are 19 different courses that attract golfers from all over the world. An interesting and diverse county, East Lothian is well worth a visit. One final surprising fact East Lothian consistently enjoys more sunshine in a year than any other region of Scotland and is consequently a popular weekend destination for the city dwellers of Glasgow and Edinburgh.