The Lothian Region

Enjoy wandering, walks, hikes and treasure hunts in the footsteps of Stevenson in the places that inspired him throughout his life and his writing.

Links with Robert Louis Stevenson

Stevenson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital city that sits in The Lothians, and spent the first 29 years of his life with Edinburgh as his home. The family home was in the centre of the city, but he frequently explored the areas around the city and beyond it in East Lothian, in particular North Berwick with which the family had, and indeed still has connections. He returned to the Lothians often in the years until the death of his father in 1887 and soon afterwards his final departure to the USA and South Seas. The Territory was an inspiration for much of Stevenson’s writing throughout his life.

The Network activities in this region :

Edinburgh is a major centre of tourism, but relatively few people are aware of the fascinating story of Stevenson’s life and writing, and how that was intertwined with his time in the Lothians. Our aim is to give people the opportunity and information to explore and enjoy Stevenson’s own story, in the places that inspired him.