The 11 best beaches in Scotland to visit

It’s a long way to travel but the rewards speak for themselves. A narrow, winding road across the barren, weather-whipped landscape of the Hebridean isle of Harris seems to at some point pass through a portal to a tropical paradise, as the brilliant white sands and blue sea hugging the headland at Luskentyre suddenly emerge, mirage-like, into view. Don’t worry about throwing your towel down to claim a spot – even on the loveliest of days you won’t be sharing it with many other visitors.

A perfectly formed crescent of golden sand wrapped in steep hills, tucked away on the Berwickshire coast between Eyemouth and St Abbs, Coldingham Bay is one of the most Instagrammable shorefronts in Britain. Not least thanks to a braid of brightly coloured beach huts popping in pinks, yellows, turquoises, and blues among the dunes. Its sheltered location makes Coldingham hugely popular with water sports enthusiasts of all different kinds, from body boarders and kayakers to wild swimmers and not least, surfers. Buy or hire gear from St Vedas Surf Shop just up the road. 

If you’re serious about surfing in Scotland then you’ll head out west to Britain’s so-called ‘Hawaii of the North’, the Isle of Tiree. Thanks to the Gulf Stream, its waters are unusually warm, and it gets a higher-than-average amount of sun. White sandy beaches can be found all around its 36-mile coast, and you’re as good as guaranteed great surf conditions on at least one of them. The most breathtaking of the lot is Gott Bay on Tiree’s eastern side – a magical spot for not only catching waves, but also wind. Every October it hosts The Tiree Wave Classic, the longest running professional windsurfing event in the world. 

Gulls! Golf! Vangelis! This pretty Fife university town’s beach is famed for more than just its good looks, great accessibility and annoying seabirds (keep your sandwiches close). Right behind its dunes lies the world-renowned Old Course, an OG sporting mecca which has attracted all from movie stars to American presidents for a round of 18 (if you hear somebody shout ‘four’, hit the sand to avoid getting wacked in the head by a golf ball). It’s also synonymous with the classic 1981 film Chariots of Fire, from Vangelis’s iconic Oscar-winning electronic score to its slow-motion men-running-in-the-surf opening scene. Try and resist humming it to yourself as you have a splash.

Along the North Sea coast midway between Aberdeen and Dundee lies the perfect beach for lovers of bird and marine life of all different shapes and sizes. Part of the St Cyrus National Nature Reserve, this three-mile-long stretch of sand beneath steep volcanic cliffs is the place to spot everyone from dolphins, whales and porpoises out at sea to seals basking in the sand and fulmars, peregrine falcons, buzzards and even ravens nesting among the crags. Don’t forget your binoculars.

Think Edinburgh and you’ll think castle, cobbles and the Fringe before you think beach. But a short bus ride from the city centre lies the neighbourhood of Portobello, with its beachfront promenade arcing along the Firth of Forth, buzzing with pram-pushing parents, dogwalkers and joggers. The waters aren’t exactly azure (it’s questionable whether you want to swim, although many do), but the wide sands are super for a spot of sunbathing, a picnic or an impromptu kickabout, and there are loads of nice locations for refreshments. Grab a slice of pizza from Civerinos, a coffee from The Little Green Van and/or a pint at The Espy.

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Speaking of castles, you get one of them into the bargain at one of south-west Scotland’s best kept secrets – the beautiful little sandy cove tucked away behind Culzean Castle and Country Park near Ayr. You technically need to pay for access as it’s a National Trust for Scotland property, but it at least means you get parking, toilets and an amazing adventure playground for kids as part of the deal (plus the absurdly pretty 18th century cliff-top castle itself). The beach lies through the woods down a winding timber staircase. It’s clean and peaceful, and has amazing views across to Arran, Ailsa Craig and Kintyre.

If you spot another living soul in Sandwood Bay then you’ll know you’ve arrived on one of its busier days. Situated right up on the roof of the British mainland at the north-western crook of Sutherland, there’s nothing but the Atlantic Ocean that lies between this beach at the edge of the world and Iceland over 500 miles away to the northwest. The sands are vast, golden and spoiled only by your own footprints. Am Buachaille sea stack punctuates the horizon like a giant exclamation mark. There’s only one catch, and it’s that you’ll have to hike about four miles from the nearest road to get there.  

Instead of dashing down to the coast on a sunny day, why not ascend 318 metres above sea level? Surrounded by mountains and forests synonymous with skiing and hiking, Loch Morlich possesses the unique distinction of having the highest beach in Britain. Its sands are hugely popular with swimmers and sunbathers when the weather is fine, and even when it’s not, they’re a hotspot for watersports enthusiasts. Loch Morlich Watersports centre is right on the beach, and rents out equipment for stand up paddleboarding, kayaking, canoeing and more (there’s also a café). A freshwater dip in the shadow of snow-capped peaks is life-affirming in the extreme.

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Back in the distant mists of time it wasn’t only the sea that roared around An Corran Beach. Rewind 168 million years and you might have met a Megalosaurus stomping the mid-Jurassic era swamps of this part of Skye. How do we know? Because in 2002 a local dog-walker discovered a newly exposed set of the dinosaur’s distinctive three-toed footprints pressed into the black rock. You can spot them for yourself among the seaweed at low tide on this stunning strip of rugged seafront, set beneath sheer cliffs at the island’s north-eastern extreme. 

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