Home

East Lothian Life captures the very essence of this beautiful county – its people, history, towns, villages, and future, in a quarterly glossy independent magazine, combining lifestyle with local interest. With a stimulating choice of diverse articles and features, every issue covers many aspects of life in East Lothian, past and present.

Well-researched and beautifully written, East Lothian Life is an outstanding example of a county magazine with a truly profound understanding of the county it represents. We work with a team of writers who live locally and have a strong local insight, enabling us to bring content for our readers on the people and places that make East Lothian so unique. Whatever your interest, East Lothian Life’s blend of editorial coupled with a strong sense of heritage captures the faces, places, pastimes and pursuits, which make up this wonderful county. Renowned for its wide-ranging, compelling content, the articles very rarely date and can be constantly referred to.

Highly Commended for six years running by the prestigious PPA Scottish Magazines ‘Best Small Publishing Company’.

Current Issue

Issue 133,
Spring 2026

Letter from the editor

Spring always feels like a permission slip for change. A subtle reset. Longer days, lighter layers, and the sense that things can – and should – evolve.
I was reminded of that yesterday when my youngest son, now in his second year at university, rang to say his bedroom ceiling had collapsed, leaving an unexpected hole and a steady stream of rainwater. I was poised to swoop in and fix everything, only to discover he already had it handled – bucket in place, spare room sorted, and an email to the landlord drafted and ready to go. He didn’t need rescuing; he just wanted a second pair of eyes. It was a reminder that growth often happens without ceremony, that what we nurture changes shape when we’re not looking. Change is rarely seamless, and it usually involves a little disruption, but once the dust settles (or the rain stops), you may find yourself exactly where you’re meant to be. Which feels fitting, as with this issue we unveil a refreshed magazine – a new look, more pages, and a renewed sense of possibility.

That sense of fresh perspective runs through these pages. Photographer Sally Anderson steps outside the gallery walls to capture East Lothian’s artists where they feel most themselves – framed by windswept beaches, quiet ruins and wide open fields that shape their work.

There’s indulgence, too (because spring should always allow for that), as Lynn Hill takes us behind the doors of a local chocolate factory, where craft, cocoa and childhood nostalgia collide. Diana Turner heads to ‘sunny Dunny’ to sample the very best of its food and drink scene. At the same time, I’m reminded that reinvention has no age limit, following Linda Malcolm’s extraordinary solo swim across the Firth of Forth. Nature has its moment, of course – with Dr James Herring returning to the joy of springtime blossoms, and further afield, Tom Brownlee slows the pace on Lismore, discovering its ancient sites, gentle rhythms and quiet magic. 

We’ve got all our regulars too – from seasonal cooking and wine to interiors, antiques, fashion and motoring – but with our new look and fresh perspectives,
it feels like a nudge to notice the possibilities around us. Just like the phone call with my son, sometimes all it takes is a shift in perspective to see a new direction. Spring is here, and it’s time for new stories and new beginnings.

Enjoy East Lothian Life, until next time.

Cover: Suzanne Fresson in sprout crop field near Kingston
© Sally Anderson

buy now