Prestonpans

The wind whips across the battlefield where Bonnie Prince Charlie's Jacobites routed King George's redcoats in just fifteen minutes. That's the sort of place Prestonpans is - where pivotal moments in Scottish history played out on what's now quiet farmland between Edinburgh and the coast.

This East Lothian town sits just twenty-five minutes by train from Edinburgh Waverley, making it a proper base for exploring both the capital and the wider region. The 1745 Battlefield Viewpoint gives you the full story of that September morning when the Young Pretender's Highland charge changed everything, at least temporarily. Battle memorials dot the landscape - there's one for the Government soldiers and another for the Jacobites, plus the main Battle of Prestonpans Memorial Cairn.

Beyond the battlefield, Prestonpans has a fascinating industrial past. The 1722 Waggonway Heritage Centre tells how horse-drawn wagons carried coal from local mines to the harbour - Britain's first proper railway, decades before Stephenson's Rocket. You can still walk parts of the old Tranent-Cockenzie Waggonway route.

The coastline here is lovely, with sandy beaches stretching towards Musselburgh and beyond. Edinburgh's just visible across the Forth, while Arthur's Seat dominates the western horizon. It's well worth the short drive to Ormiston to see The Great Yew - a magnificent tree that's been standing for centuries.

Staying at one of the nearby holiday parks makes perfect sense. You're close enough for day trips into Edinburgh, yet far enough out to enjoy proper Scottish countryside and coast. Haven Seton Sands sits right on the beach, while other parks offer touring pitches with easy access to both the historic sites and that stunning East Lothian coastline.