East Lothian

Edinburgh City

Mid Lothian

West Lothian

The Lothians of the Macbeth era was part of that great swathe of land known as Strathclyde that stretched from the Firth of Forth to the Firth of Clyde in the north down to the borders of Cumbria and Northumbria. This was greatly contested land and it was to Macbeth's credit that he pacified and held it for Scotland for at least fifteen years of his seventeen-year reign. It was not until the invasion of Malcolm Canmore and his Northumbrian allies that the peoples deserted the Macbeth cause, but to their credit there is no documentation that any joined the Atholl army.
After Macbeth's defeat and death, Canmore, following in his late fathers' footsteps, attacked the people who had given him succour only to face, as his father had before, defeat and the loss of these Scottish lands. For many years after, this area was under control of the English and not until the advent of one Robert the Bruce and that famous battle of Bannockburn was the land acknowledged once and for all Scottish.

Lothians today is broken down into four council regions, West Lothian, Mid Lothian, Edinburgh City and East Lothian. Basically farming country with a little coal mining, the regions are not industrialized the way the West Coast is, probably because the Forth was never utilized the way the Clyde was in earlier times. Edinburgh City is the capital and financial centre of Scotland and with its busy port at Leith it is the hub of the region.
The new town of Livingston, a bustling centre in West Lothian is the second town of the region. Much of its industry is based on the high technology companies that have been attracted to the town. Because of the Edinburgh Festival many thousands of tourists flock into the area to enjoy the wonderful shows and sights the event offers. Of course the Castle and Zoo can't go without a mention for in their own right they alone bring many visitors to the area.

The coastline is dotted with many beautiful seaside resorts that provide wonderful holidays and the inland towns and villages all have a story to tell the visitor.

For further information on the regions and their towns use the lists to the left of the domain map for entering town sites. Enjoy your browse through these pages and if anyone has any comments or photos to enhance these pages please feel free to contact us.

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