Why visit Roslin
Townapedia lists 19 museums and landmarks, 6 parks and trails, 13 places to eat and 4 places to stay in and around town.
Highlights include Edinburgh, Loanhead and Roslin Railway, Hawthornden Castle and Roslin Glen Country Park.
Weather in Roslin
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Roslin
Roslin (formerly spelt Rosslyn or Roslyn) is a village in Midlothian, Scotland, 11 kilometres (7 mi) to the south of the capital city Edinburgh. It stands on high ground, near the northwest bank of the river North Esk.
From the Wikipedia article Roslin, Midlothian (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Roslin on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Photos of Roslin
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Museums and landmarks19
Edinburgh, Loanhead and Roslin Railway
Monument and historic site · 1.4 mi
Poet Drummond's Seat
Monument and historic site · 1.1 mi
A rock that has been sculpted into a bench
Rosewell Mining and Associated Industries Memorial
Monument and historic site · 1.2 mi
7 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds6
Roslin Glen Country Park
Park · 0.4 mi
Country park in Midlothian, Scotland, UK
Restaurants and cafes13
Stewart Brewery Bar & Pizza Kitchen
Bar and pub · Pizza · 1.1 mi
We 17:00-22:00; Th 16:00-22:00; Fr,Sa 12:00-22:00; Su 12:00-20:00
1 more on the map.
Where to stay4
History
Legend has it the village was founded in 203 A.D. by Asterius, a Pict.
In 1303 Roslin was the site of a battle of the First War of Scottish Independence.
In 1446, Rosslyn Chapel was constructed, under the guide of William Sinclair, 1st Earl of Caithness.
Roslin became important as the seat of the St Clair (or Sinclair) family. In 1456 King James II granted it the status of a burgh. Coal mining has been a major occupation from the twelfth to the late twentieth centuries.
Roslin Inn dates from 1660 and was visited by Dr Johnson and James Boswell during their tour of Scotland in 1773, dining and drinking tea at the inn. Later in the 18th century Robert Burns breakfasted at the inn with Alexander Nasmyth.
From the 19th century onward, the attractions of the Glen, Castle and Chapel developed Roslin as a popular tourist destination. Notable visitors included J. M. W. Turner, William Wordsworth (who wrote a poem in the chapel whilst escaping a storm) and his sister Dorothy, who wrote "I never passed through a more delicious dell than the glen of Rosslyn". William Morris visited in March 1887, noting in his Socialist Diary that Roslin was "a beautiful glen-ny landscape much spoiled ... by the misery of Scotch building and a manufactory or two".
Read more of the history
On the north-western side of the village used to be Roslin Institute, a biological research establishment, where in 1996 Dolly the sheep became the first animal to be cloned from an adult somatic cell. She moved to Easter Bush in 2011.
From the History section of Roslin, Midlothian on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Roslin
James GillespieBritish philanthropistPhoto: Stephencdickson, CC BY-SA 4.0- Billy Neilassociation football player (born 1944)
- John Lawson JohnstonBritish businessman (1839–1900)
Born in Roslin, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Churches and places of worship10
St Matthew's Roman Catholic Church
Church · Roman Catholic · 1.3 mi
36 Carnethie Street
Shopping3
Schools, colleges and libraries6
Healthcare1
Map of Roslin
62 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Edinburgh Airport (EDI) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 10 miles away.
- Bilston 1 mi north, about 2 min by car
- Bonnyrigg 3 mi northeast, about 4 min by car
- Penicuik 3 mi southwest, about 5 min by car
- Dalkeith 5 mi northeast, about 7 min by car
- Mayfield 5 mi east, about 8 min by car
- Edinburgh 7 mi north, about 11 min by car
- Musselburgh 7 mi northeast, about 12 min by car
- Ratho 9 mi northwest, about 15 min by car
- Tranent 10 mi northeast, about 17 min by car
- West Linton 10 mi southwest, about 17 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Roslin
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Keep exploring
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Roslin, Midlothian, Richard Webb, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Roslin Kirk main facade, Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Roslin Castlelaw Hill seen from Main Street, Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Roslin EH25, UK - panoramio (16), Gyula Péter, CC BY 3.0
- Roslin Main Street 29, Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Roslin EH25, UK - panoramio (15), Gyula Péter, CC BY 3.0
- Roslin EH25, UK - panoramio (11), Gyula Péter, CC BY 3.0
- Roslin EH25, UK - panoramio (14), Gyula Péter, CC BY 3.0
- Roslin EH25, UK - panoramio (13), Gyula Péter, CC BY 3.0
- Cockpen and Carrington Church 345, RHaworth, CC BY 2.5
- Roslin - Cappella di Rosslyn 01, Syrio, CC BY-SA 4.0
- RoslinCastle1, Taken by User:Supergolden, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Glencorse railway, Afterbrunel, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Rosslyn Chapel (Mentioned in Dan Brown's DaVinci Code), Sabine Perry, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Hawthornden Castle, 2013, Magnus Hagdorn from UK, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Rosslyn Chapel - 'The Chappell of Rosslin' (5372742544), National Library of Scotland, No restrictions
- Rosslyn Chapel, Ceiling of Lady Chapel (3611515020), Cornell University Library, No restrictions
- Rosslyn Chapel, Then Chancel (3610838461), Cornell University Library, No restrictions
- Rosslyn Chapel, The Apprentice Pillar (3611600998), Cornell University Library, No restrictions
- Rosslyn Chapel, Ceiling of Chancel (3611492614), Cornell University Library, No restrictions
- George post box in Edinburgh 02, Dickelbers, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Street-level photo, ccbb7766, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, victuallers, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, lucagm, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, lucagm, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, lucagm, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, lucagm, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, lucagm, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, ccbb7766, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, hobgoblin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, victuallers, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, ccbb7766, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, drnoble, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, ccbb7766, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, lucagm, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, rudolfmayer, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, rudolfmayer, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, lucagm, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, lucagm, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, lucagm, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, lucagm, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, ccbb7766, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, ccbb7766, CC BY-SA 4.0
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