Midlothian is a county in the East Coast of Scotland next to the City of Edinburgh, it covers many small villages and towns just outside the boundaries of the capital having a population of 79,000 making it one of the smallest in Scotland. Notable settlements include Dalkeith, Loanhead, Bonnyrigg, Roslin, Penecuik and Mayfield.

Once part of Lothian and Edinburgh City, the county of Midlothian gets its name both from the romantic epic novel ‘The Heart of Midlothian’ by Sir Walter Scott and the local football team of the same name.

Famous people from Midlothian include: romantic historical author Sir Walter Scott, ex Prime Minister William Gladstone, and author Thomas de Quincey.

Scots hero William Wallace spent time in Wallace’s Cave after the Battle of Rosslyn in 1303 where 8,000 Scots defeated 30,000 English led by John Comyn. William Wallace was of course the hero of Braveheart the stirring Hollywood blockbuster movie starring American actor Mel Gibson, complete with Gibson’s Scots-American-Australian accent and underwear free Scots.