Scotland has its own conservation charity, the National Trust for Scotland (NTS), which is independent of the National Trust in England and Wales. NTS membership does not automatically include English properties and vice versa, though there is a reciprocal agreement giving members of each organisation free entry to the other's properties.
Edinburgh and the Lothians have a fine collection of NTS properties, from a 17th-century tenement on the Royal Mile to elegant Georgian townhouses and a working watermill in the East Lothian countryside.
Important: Edinburgh Castle and Craigmillar Castle are managed by Historic Environment Scotland (HES), and the Palace of Holyroodhouse is managed by the Royal Collection Trust. None are NTS properties and they are not covered here.
Gladstone's Land
Life on the Royal Mile in the 1600s
Gladstone's Land (55.9494, -3.1940) is a six-storey tenement on the Lawnmarket section of the Royal Mile, built in 1550 and extended in the 1620s by the merchant Thomas Gledstanes. The building has been restored to show how Edinburgh's Old Town residents lived in the 17th century, with original painted ceilings and period furnishings.
The ground floor houses a reconstructed shop booth. It is one of the few surviving original buildings on the Royal Mile and gives a vivid sense of how densely packed and vertical Old Town life was.
Address: 477B Lawnmarket, Royal Mile, Edinburgh, EH1 2NT
The Georgian House
18th-century elegance in the New Town
The Georgian House (55.9526, -3.2105) at 7 Charlotte Square is a beautifully restored townhouse showing how Edinburgh's wealthy New Town residents lived in the late 18th century. Charlotte Square was designed by Robert Adam in 1791 and is one of the finest Georgian squares in Europe.
The house is furnished with period pieces, Wedgwood china, and a working Georgian kitchen in the basement. A useful companion to any walk around the New Town and a good contrast with Gladstone's Land on the Royal Mile.
Address: 7 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh, EH2 4DR
Newhailes
A Palladian house with a landscape of surprises
Newhailes (55.9402, -3.0811) is a late 17th-century Palladian villa in Musselburgh, about 15 minutes east of Edinburgh city centre. The house has a rococo-style library that Samuel Johnson called "the most learned room in Europe" and an important collection of 18th-century decorative arts.
The 86-acre designed landscape includes shell grottos, a sunken garden, woodland walks, and a recently restored walled garden. Less well known than the city centre properties, making it a pleasantly uncrowded visit.
Address: Newhailes Road, Musselburgh, EH21 6RY
Inveresk Lodge Garden
A terraced garden above the Esk
Inveresk Lodge Garden (55.9289, -3.0525) is a hillside garden in the picturesque village of Inveresk, near Musselburgh. The south-facing terraces are sheltered and warm, allowing a wider range of plants than you might expect this far north, including roses, shrub borders, and a good selection of herbaceous perennials.
Open year-round and free to NTS members. Combine with Newhailes, which is nearby, for a half-day in Musselburgh.
Address: 24 Inveresk Village Road, Musselburgh, EH21 7TE
Malleny Garden
A secret garden in suburban Balerno
Malleny Garden (55.8848, -3.3367) is a walled garden in Balerno on the southwestern edge of Edinburgh, at the foot of the Pentland Hills. The garden is famous for its collection of old shrub roses and four 400-year-old clipped yew trees known as the "Four Evangelists."
A peaceful retreat that feels far from the city. The house itself (Malleny House) is not open to the public.
Address: Balerno, Edinburgh, EH14 7AF
Preston Mill
Scotland's last working watermill
Preston Mill (55.9923, -2.6510) in East Linton is a picturesque 18th-century watermill with a distinctive conical kiln roof, still in working order. The mill ground oatmeal for the local community until 1959 and now operates demonstration days during the summer season.
The mill sits beside a duck pond and was used as a filming location for the TV series Outlander. The nearby Phantassie Doocot (dovecot) is also worth a look. About 25 miles east of Edinburgh, it makes a good stop on a day trip to the East Lothian coast.
Address: East Linton, East Lothian, EH40 3DS
House of the Binns
400 years of one family's history
House of the Binns (55.9839, -3.6019) is a 17th-century house near Linlithgow in West Lothian, home to the Dalyell family for over 400 years. The house has important moulded plaster ceilings from the 1630s and a collection reflecting the family's long and occasionally dramatic history (General Tam Dalyell raised the Royal Scots Greys regiment here).
The parkland and woodland walks offer views across the Firth of Forth. A less-visited property that rewards the short drive from Edinburgh. Combine with Linlithgow Palace (HES) or the Falkirk Wheel for a day in West Lothian.
Address: Linlithgow, West Lothian, EH49 7NA
Practical Tips
- NTS membership is separate from National Trust membership in England and Wales, but there is a reciprocal agreement. If you are a member of either organisation, you can enter the other's properties for free.
- Gladstone's Land and The Georgian House are both in central Edinburgh and can be visited on foot as part of a city walk.
- Newhailes and Inveresk Lodge Garden are both in Musselburgh and pair well for a half-day trip.
- Preston Mill is seasonal (typically April to September). Check the NTS website for current opening.
- Edinburgh Castle and Holyroodhouse are Historic Environment Scotland, not NTS. They require separate tickets.
