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Beaches of Scotland

With a coastline estimated at 8197 miles (13,115 km) long, there is plenty of room for Scottish beaches! The east coast has plenty of unspoilt stretches of sands, with places like Dunbar, St Andrews, Montrose, Aberdeen, Fraserburgh, Lossiemouth, Nairn, and Dornoch just some of the towns and cities close to superb stretches of beach.

The more rugged north and west coasts likewise have beautiful sands, often as smaller coves set amongst magnificent cliff scenery, while the dazzling white beaches of the Hebrides – look for the Gaelic word ‘traigh’ on maps – are an essential element of the island experience and a real highlight of a visit to, for example, Harris or Islay. The Big Strand on Islay, for example, is at least 7.5 miles (12 km) long.

Some beaches have an association with a particular leisure pursuit – Thurso (Dunnet Bay) for surfing, for instance; beaches on Tiree for wind surfing; St Andrews for kite-surfing – but all of these are practiced at a variety of Scottish beaches.

Scotland’s beaches are also leisurely places for beachcombing – lobster buoys from Maine, coconuts from the Caribbean and pumice from Icelandic volcanoes may add a touch of the exotic!

More than 60 of Scotland’s beaches hold Seaside Awards – but the Scottish beach, especially in the Highlands, can still be an off-the-beaten-track location, unspoilt and hardly visited.