10 fascinating facts about… East Lothian

East Lothian is known as Scotland’s golf coast – and it’s a very apt name.

Not only does the area have good weather, but it boasts some first class golf courses, including the current home of the Scottish Open.

Here’s 10 fascinating facts about East Lothian which you possibly never knew.

Robert Louis Stevenson spent childhood holidays in North Berwick, and its landmarks appear in several of his works, most notably Kidnapped and Catriona.

The village was founded in Norman times, when the Earl of Fife built a castle overlooking the East Bay.

The name Berwick is thought to derive from the Old English ‘ber’ and ‘wic’, meaning ‘barley farm’.

Up until 1921, East Lothian was known as Haddingtonshire.

North Berwick’s two famous geological formations, the Bass Rock and Berwick Law, are the remains of old volcanoes.

East Lothian has 19 golf courses, including the oldest surviving course in the world, Musselburgh links.

East Lothian gets more sun and less rain than the rest of the country.

88% of East Lothian is farmland. Agriculture supports the local economy.

East Lothian is split by two parallel fault lines, the Dunbar–Gifford fault and the Lammermuir fault.

The Edinburgh Malt is actually made in Glenkinchie Distillery in East Lothian.

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