East Lothian is a council area on the south side of the Firth of Forth, east of Edinburgh. It had a population of 112,284 at the 2022 census and covers 679 square kilometres (262 sq mi). Haddington is the county town and administrative centre; Musselburgh, on the Edinburgh boundary, is the largest town.
The area added 12,567 residents between 2011 and 2022, the second fastest growth in Scotland after Midlothian. It was called Haddingtonshire until 1921 and is a historic county as well as a modern council area.
| Country | Scotland, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Status | Council area and historic county |
| Former name | Haddingtonshire (to 1921) |
| Area | 679 km2 (262 sq mi) |
| Population (2022) | 112,284 |
| Population (2011) | 99,717 |
| Density | 165 people per km2 |
| Largest town | Musselburgh |
| Council | East Lothian Council, John Muir House, Haddington |
| Postcode area | EH |
Towns and Villages in East Lothian
East Lothian has 71 named towns, villages and hamlets. Musselburgh holds about 23,600 people, Tranent 11,900, Dunbar 10,300, Prestonpans 9,500, Haddington 9,000 and North Berwick 7,800. The list runs alphabetically, from Aberlady to Winterfield Mains.
- Aberlady
- Athelstaneford
- Ballencrieff
- Belhaven
- Biel
- Bielside
- Bilsdean
- Black House Steading
- Blindwells
- Bolton
- Broxburn
- Broxmouth
- Cockenzie
- Craigielaw
- Crossgatehall
- Dirleton
- Drem
- Dunbar
- East Fortune
- East Linton
- East Saltoun
- Elphinstone
- Elvingston
- Ferrygate
- Garvald
- Gifford
- Gladsmuir
- Gullane
- Haddington
- Hopes
- Humbie
- Innerwick
- Inveresk
- Kingston
- Leaston
- Lennoxlove
- Longniddry
- Luffness
- Luggate Burn
- Macmerry
- Morham
- Mungoswells
- Musselburgh
- New Winton
- North Berwick
- Old Craighall
- Oldhamstocks
- Ormiston
- Peaston
- Peaston Bank
- Pencaitland
- Penston
- Pitcox
- Prestonpans
- Saint Germains
- Samuelston
- Seton
- Seton Mains
- Skateraw
- Spott
- Stenton
- Tranent
- Traprain
- Tyninghame
- Wallyford
- West Barns
- West Saltoun
- Whitecraig
- Whitekirk
- Whittingehame
- Winterfield Mains
Geography
East Lothian borders the City of Edinburgh to the west, Midlothian to the south-west and the Scottish Borders to the south. The Firth of Forth forms the northern coast, and the North Sea the eastern.
The northern two-thirds is a low, fertile coastal plain, some of the driest and best arable land in Scotland. The southern edge climbs into the Lammermuir Hills, which reach 535 metres at Meikle Says Law on the Borders boundary and carry large wind farms.
Traprain Law and North Berwick Law are volcanic plugs standing out of the plain. Offshore, the Bass Rock in the Forth holds one of the world’s largest colonies of northern gannets, and the Isle of May lies further out. The coast from Musselburgh to Dunglass carries almost 40 miles of beaches, dunes and low cliffs.
Demographics
The 2022 census counted 112,284 residents, up 12,567 on 2011. That 12.6% rise was the second largest proportional increase in Scotland, behind Midlothian, and was driven by housebuilding at Musselburgh, Tranent, Wallyford, Blindwells and Haddington, and by demand from people working in Edinburgh.
Density is about 165 people per square kilometre, but the population is heavily skewed to the coastal strip: the Lammermuir parishes of Garvald, Humbie and Whittingehame hold only a few hundred people each.
Blindwells, on the site of a former opencast coal mine near Tranent, is the first new town started in Scotland since Cumbernauld and Livingston, and is planned to grow to several thousand homes.
Economy and Local Life
Arable farming still underpins the rural economy. East Lothian grows wheat, malting barley, potatoes and vegetables, and the malting and seed-potato trades run from Dunbar and Haddington. Belhaven Brewery in Dunbar has brewed since 1719 and is the oldest working brewery in Scotland.
Torness nuclear power station, on the coast south of Dunbar, generates a substantial share of Scotland’s electricity and is the area’s single largest industrial employer; it is due to close in the early 2030s. Dunbar also has a large cement works at Oxwellmains.
Golf and tourism matter along the coast. There are more than 20 courses in the county, including Muirfield at Gullane, which has hosted The Open sixteen times, and the North Berwick West Links, one of the oldest courses in the world still on its original ground. Many residents commute to Edinburgh, 20 minutes by train from Musselburgh.
History
The Votadini tribe had a hill fort on Traprain Law, where a hoard of late Roman silver was found in 1919. The county lay on the invasion road between Edinburgh and England and was fought over for centuries.
Two battles stand out. Oliver Cromwell destroyed a larger Scottish army at Dunbar on 3 September 1650. Ninety-five years later, on 21 September 1745, Prince Charles Edward Stuart’s Jacobite army broke a government force at Prestonpans in about fifteen minutes, the rising’s first victory.
Coal was mined along the Forth from the twelfth century and the last East Lothian pit, at Prestongrange, closed in 1962. John Muir, the naturalist who campaigned for the American national parks, was born in Dunbar in 1838; the coastal path along the Forth carries his name.
Getting There
The A1 runs the length of the county from Edinburgh past Tranent, Haddington and Dunbar towards Berwick-upon-Tweed. The A198 takes the coastal route through Longniddry, Gullane and North Berwick, and the A199 and A6093 serve the inland villages.
The East Coast Main Line calls at Musselburgh, Wallyford, Prestonpans, Longniddry, Drem and Dunbar, and a branch runs from Drem to North Berwick. Trains reach Edinburgh Waverley in 10 to 25 minutes. Edinburgh Airport is about 25 miles west of Haddington.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of East Lothian?
112,284 at the 2022 census, up 12,567 on 2011. Only Midlothian grew faster over that decade.
What is the largest town in East Lothian?
Musselburgh, with about 23,600 residents. Tranent, Dunbar, Prestonpans and Haddington follow.
How many villages are in East Lothian?
There are 71 named settlements, from towns of over 20,000 people down to Lammermuir hamlets of a few dozen.
Is East Lothian the same as Haddingtonshire?
Yes. The county was officially Haddingtonshire until 1921, when it took the name East Lothian.
What is the county town of East Lothian?
Haddington. East Lothian Council has its headquarters there, at John Muir House.
What postcode does East Lothian use?
EH. Musselburgh is EH21, Tranent EH33, Prestonpans EH32, Haddington EH41, North Berwick EH39 and Dunbar EH42.