Go to Midlothian Villages.
Go to Midlothian Castles
Go to Midlothian Pentland Hills.

Although technically in the County of Midlothian, for administrative purposes Edinburgh is separated from the Lothians. The County of Midlothian covers virtually the area to the south of the city taking in Penicuik to the south, Dalkeith to the East and Ratho out to the west. All the counties of the Lothians have their own local authorities, rates system, local byelaws and courts of justice. In days of yore for a town in the Lothians to sport a criminal court it had to hold the status of a Burgh. Prior to what is known as Regionalisation on 16th May 1975 the Burgh lay at the heart of local government administration in Scotland.

 Burgh's were first established at the beginning of the 12th century by David I. There were different version of Burgh's. The most powerful being Royal Burgh's. Those Burgh's had representation in the pre 1707 Scottish Parliament. Other Burgh's held trading privileges and were sometimes known as Burgh's of Barony. In 1892 the Burgh Police (Scotland)Act was passed and eight years later The Town Council (Scotland) Act was passed. This standardized the operating of the Burgh throughout Scotland under a Provost, Bailies and councilors. All that passed into antiquity on 16th May 1975 when the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 was ratified.

In it's own right the county of Midlothian is an tourist attraction. There is the small charming village of Roslin This is the home of the famous Roslynn Chapel. Part of the film the Da Vinci Code starring Tom Hanks was filmed here. It was also the birth place of Dolly the Sheep. The first cloned sheep in history. Midlothian also has it's fair share of castle's. The most prominent being Borthwick, Oxenford, Hawthornden, Crichton, Dalhousie, and Roslin. A link to those castles is supplied above. Most of those are centres of residence, supplying meals and indeed Hawthorden is used as a retreat for writers who have 'writers block'.

Midlothian made money from coal, and has a mining history. The last deep pit to be sunk in Scotland was the Bilston Glen at Loanhead. It was opened in 1963 and was closed after the miners strike in 1989. The history of mining in the Lothian's is on show at the Scottish mining Museum, which was once the Lady Victoria Colliery at Newtongrange. Just on the doorstep on the boundary with Edinburgh at Hillend is the Pentland hills Regional Park.It also boasts an all weather ski slope. A few miles to the South is Flotterstone. If you are into Fishing, hill walking or mountain biking this is the in place for you..

Midlothian is a sportsman's paradise. The golf courses that decorate the county are as good as you will get anywhere in the world, and most are at reasonable prices. Most of the main towns in Midlothian have their own community centres. These are equipped with swimming pools, gyms and snack bars that supply soft drinks and food. Some of the smaller Burgh's like Bonnyrigg amalgamated with the small villages next door and known as Lasswade. It then became Bonnyrigg and Lasswade . This was repeated throughout the counties of the Lothians.

 The main road south (A68) runs through Dalkeith. In days gone by this was used by the stage coach with stops at places like Pathhead. For daily shopping, supermarkets, post offices's etc are situated in most villages and towns. In short it does not matter where you are in Midlothian, you will be near a shopping facility that will meet your needs. Like most of the United Kingdom the shopping precincts have tended to move away from the city centre. Midlothian is no different. So there you have it. Just follow the links set out in the text and you will find what you are looking for. Just click the link at the top and bottom of the page to take you back to the home page of Midlothian.

As a point of interest. The origin of the name Lothian  is debated. It perhaps comes from the British *Lugudūniānā (Lleuddiniawn in Modern Welsh spelling) meaning "country of the fort of Lugus", the latter being a Celtic god of commerce.  One of the major gods. He is one of the deities whom Julius Caesar identified with the Roman god Mercury.His cult was widespread throughout the early Celtic world, and his name occurs as an element in many continental European and British place-names, such as Lyon, Laon, Leiden, and Carlisle. Alternatively it may take its name from a watercourse which flows through the region, now known as the Lothian Burn,the name of which comes from either the British lutna meaning "dark or muddy stream", with a meaning associated with flood popular legend is that the name comes from King Lot, who is king of Lothian in the Arthurian legend. The usual Latin form of the name is Laudonia.