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Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and its second largest city, after
Glasgow, which is 45 miles (72 km) away to the west. It is in the south-east
of Scotland, on the east coast of Scotland's Central Belt, on the south
shore of the Firth of Forth, on the North Sea and, because of its rugged
setting and vast collection of Medieval and Georgian architecture including
numerous stone tenements, it is often considered one of the most dramatic
cities in Europe.
Edinburgh is well-known for the annual Edinburgh Festival, a collection of
official and independent festivals held annually over about four weeks from
early August. The number of visitors attracted to Edinburgh for the Festival
is roughly equal to the settled population of the city. The most famous of
these events are the Edinburgh Fringe (the largest performing arts festival
in the world), the Edinburgh International Festival, the Edinburgh Military
Tattoo, and the Edinburgh International Film Festival. Bathgate is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, on the M8 motorway five miles west of Livingston. Neighbouring towns are Blackburn, Armadale, Fauldhouse, Whitburn, Livingston, Stoneyburn, and Linlithgow. Edinburgh Airport is 13 miles (21 km) away. Situated 2 miles (3km) south of the Neolithic burial site at Cairnpapple Hill, Bathgate and the surrounding area show signs of habitation since about 3500 BC. Dalkeith is a town in Midlothian, Scotland, lying on the River North Esk. It was granted a burgh of barony in 1401 and a burgh of regality in 1540. The settlement of Dalkeith grew southwestwards from its 12th-century castle (now Dalkeith Palace). Dalkeith has a population of 11,566 people according to the 2001 census. Dunbar is a town in East Lothian on the southeast coast of Scotland, approximately 30 miles east of Edinburgh and 28 from the English Border at Berwick-upon-Tweed. The Royal Burgh of Haddington It lies approximately 20 miles east of Edinburgh. It is today the main administrative centre for East Lothian. It was the first Royal Burgh, created as such sometime in the reign of David I of Scotland (1124-1153), containing a famous Abbey and monastery. Although now a small town with a population of less than 9,000, at one time Haddington was the fourth largest city in Scotland, after Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh. Livingston is the fourth post-war new town to be built in Scotland, designated in 1962. It is located approximately 25 km west of Edinburgh and 50 km east of Glasgow, and is bordered by the towns of Broxburn to the northeast and Bathgate to the northwest. Livingston is the largest town in the West Lothian area. It was built around a collection of small villages, Livingston Village, Bellsquarry and Livingston Station (now Deans). Musselburgh is the largest conurbation in East Lothian, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, six miles east of Edinburgh city centre. It also lays claim to the title of Scotland's oldest town. The Royal Burgh of North Berwick is a seaside town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, approximately 25 miles east of Edinburgh. North Berwick became a fashionable holiday resort in the 19th century because of its two sandy bays, the East (or Milsey) Bay and the West Bay, and continues to attract holiday makers to this day. Golf courses at the ends of each bay are open to visitors. Queensferry (often referred to as South Queensferry to distinguish it from North Queensferry), originally a Royal Burgh in West Lothian is now part of the City of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located some ten miles to the northwest of the city centre, on the shore of the Firth of Forth between the Forth Bridge and the Forth Road Bridge, approximately 8 miles (13 km) from Edinburgh Airport. The town's population is around 9,000 people. West Calder is a village in West Lothian, Scotland, located 4 miles of Livingston. The village was an important centre for the oil shale economy in the 19th and 20th Centuries. |
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