Midlothian is a council area in south-east Scotland, immediately south of Edinburgh. It covers 354 km2 (137 sq mi) and had a population of 96,527 at the 2022 census, making it the fastest-growing council area in Scotland over the previous decade. The council is based in Dalkeith.
The area runs from the suburban edge of Edinburgh at Danderhall and Millerhill up into the Pentland and Moorfoot Hills. Bonnyrigg, Penicuik, Dalkeith and Mayfield are the four largest towns, and all four sit within a 20-minute drive of the capital.
| Country | Scotland, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Status | Council area and lieutenancy area |
| Area | 137 sq mi (354 km2) |
| Population (2022) | 96,527 |
| Population (2011) | 83,187 |
| Change 2011–2022 | +16.0%, the highest in Scotland |
| Density | 273 people per km2 |
| Largest town | Bonnyrigg (18,320) |
| Administrative centre | Dalkeith |
| Council | Midlothian Council |
| Postcode areas | EH18–EH26, EH37 |
Towns and Villages in Midlothian
Midlothian has 47 named towns and villages, listed alphabetically below. Bonnyrigg, Penicuik, Dalkeith, Mayfield, Loanhead, Gorebridge and Newtongrange are the towns; the rest are villages, many of them former colliery rows in the Esk valley.
- Auchendinny
- Bilston
- Blackshiels
- Bonnyrigg
- Borthwick
- Carrington
- Cousland
- Crichton
- Dalkeith
- Danderhall
- Dewartown
- Easthouses
- Edgehead
- Eskbank
- Fala
- Fala Dam
- Fushiebridge
- Gorebridge
- Gowkshill
- Hawthornden
- Hillend
- Howgate
- Lasswade
- Leadburn
- Loanhead
- Loanstone
- Mayfield
- Middleton Village
- Millerhill
- Milton Bridge
- Newbattle
- Newlandrig
- Newton Village
- Newtongrange
- Nine Mile Burn
- North Middleton
- Old Pentland
- Pathhead
- Penicuik
- Polton
- Pomathorn
- Rosewell
- Roslin
- Silverburn
- Temple
- Tynehead
- Whitehill
By population the order runs Bonnyrigg (18,320), Penicuik (16,150), Mayfield (13,690), Dalkeith (12,720), Loanhead (6,350), Gorebridge (6,330) and Danderhall (2,770).
Geography
The Pentland Hills form the western boundary, rising to 493 m at Scald Law on the Midlothian side. The Moorfoot Hills close the south, with Blackhope Scar at 651 m the highest point in the county. Between them lies the Esk basin, farmland and former coalfield.
Two rivers drain the area. The North Esk rises in the Pentlands above Carlops and runs through Penicuik and Roslin; the South Esk comes off the Moorfoots past Gorebridge and Newtongrange. They meet at Dalkeith and flow on into East Lothian as the River Esk.
Edinburgh lies to the north, East Lothian to the east, the Scottish Borders to the south, and West Lothian to the west across the Pentlands.
Demographics
Scotland’s Census 2022 recorded 96,527 residents, up 13,340 on 2011. The 16.0% rise was the largest of any Scottish council area, driven by house building at Shawfair, Bonnyrigg, Newtongrange and Gorebridge after the Borders Railway opened in 2015.
Density is 273 people per km2, but the population is concentrated: roughly four in five residents live in the northern third of the area, on the Edinburgh side of the A7. The hill parishes of Temple, Carrington, Borthwick and Fala hold a few hundred people each.
Economy and Local Life
Midlothian was a coal county. The last deep mine, Bilston Glen at Loanhead, closed in 1989, and the last colliery at Monktonhall shut in 1997. The Lady Victoria Colliery at Newtongrange is now the National Mining Museum Scotland.
The modern economy is built on commuting, life sciences and logistics. The Roslin Institute at Easter Bush — where Dolly the sheep was cloned in 1996 — anchors a research campus shared with the University of Edinburgh’s veterinary school. Shawfair and Newbridge carry distribution parks; Penicuik has light manufacturing on the site of the old Valleyfield paper mills.
Rosslyn Chapel at Roslin, founded in 1446, draws well over 100,000 visitors a year. Dalkeith Country Park and the Pentland Hills Regional Park take most of the rest.
History
The county was one of the three Lothians, and until 1921 was formally called Edinburghshire. Its name means the middle Lothian, between East and West.
Coal was worked here from the 1200s, when the monks of Newbattle Abbey opened pits near Prestongrange. Industrial-scale mining arrived with the railways in the 1800s and built most of the villages that survive: Newtongrange was a company village laid out by the Lothian Coal Company from the 1890s.
Dalkeith Palace, the Buccleuch seat, dominated local landholding for centuries. Roslin gave its name to Rosslyn Chapel and to the 1303 battle in which a Scots force defeated an English army during the Wars of Independence.
Getting There
The A7 runs south from Edinburgh through Eskbank and Gorebridge to Galashiels. The A68 leaves the city bypass at Dalkeith for Jedburgh and Newcastle, and the A702 crosses the Pentlands towards Biggar. The Edinburgh City Bypass (A720) clips the northern edge at Sheriffhall and Straiton.
The Borders Railway reopened in September 2015 and serves Shawfair, Eskbank, Newtongrange and Gorebridge, with journeys of 15 to 25 minutes to Edinburgh Waverley. Edinburgh Airport is about 14 miles north-west via the bypass.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Midlothian?
96,527 at the 2022 census, up 16.0% from 83,187 in 2011 — the largest increase of any Scottish council area.
What is the largest town in Midlothian?
Bonnyrigg, with about 18,320 people. Penicuik (16,150), Mayfield (13,690) and Dalkeith (12,720) follow.
How many villages are in Midlothian?
47 named settlements in total, of which seven are towns and the remainder villages and hamlets.
Is Midlothian part of Edinburgh?
No. Midlothian is a separate council area south of the city. Edinburgh was carved out of the old county of Midlothian, which was itself called Edinburghshire until 1921.
What postcodes does Midlothian use?
EH18 to EH26 cover most of the area, with EH37 at Pathhead. All fall within the Edinburgh postcode area.
How do you get to Midlothian by train?
The Borders Railway from Edinburgh Waverley stops at Shawfair, Eskbank, Newtongrange and Gorebridge.