CLICK HERE TO GO TO East Lothian Map Midlothian West Lothian Additional Information Landmark Visitor's Guide Home The Lothians Between the Firth of Forth, the Lammermuir, the Moorfoot and the Pentland Hills lies a wide, mainly agricultural belt called the Lothians with the city of Edinburgh at its centre. The interior consists mainly of pastoral land. Most of the interest in this region is found along the coast. Giant coal-bings or slag heaps once blighted the horizon in many parts of Lothian, although, with them, the remnants of a once considerable coal mining industry, after the 1970's, gradually disappeared. In East Lothian, the A1 route following the coast, is the most popular road for visitors heading toward Edinburgh. It is a fairly direct approach, avoiding the narrower and more undulating routes that cross the Lammermuir Hills. In years gone by, this was also the route for invading armies who chose to avoid Lothians semi-circle of protective hills, not only for ease of passage but for fear of ambush.