As a travel writer I’ve been lucky enough to travel to over 100 countries and I can say hand on heart that the best beaches I’ve come across are right here in Scotland. A dizzying array of sandy oases sprinkle the length and breadth of the country, from Dumfries and Galloway to Shetland. Join me now as I share my favourites.
That Scotland boasts so many gorgeous stretches of sand shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all we have over 10% of Europe’s coastline and over 800 islands. For me Scottish beaches knock the socks off other more famous sands in the Caribbean and Mediterranean. It doesn’t surprise me that much either that the Thai tourist office were once caught using an image of a beach on Berneray in a campaign to promote beach tourism in Thailand.
I remember chatting on Harris to one American visitor. He exclaimed that Scarista looked just like the Caribbean. I thought for a moment, then pointed out that it is the other way around as this landscape is millions of years older!
Let’s kick off our sandals first in the balmiest corner of the country, down in Dumfries and Galloway. I like that the beaches here offer views out towards the Lake District, Ireland and even the Isle of Man. My favourite are the sweeping sands of Luce Bay. There is a great campsite here that also offers a variety of watersports. My girls love just racing around the beach and making the most of the shallow waters.
On the other coast in the Borders Coldingham is a tempting North Sea beach. It’s popular with surfers and windsurfers (there’s a surf school here) with some of the best surf in southern Scotland. When the surf is not up it’s good for swimming, but at all times you can just relax here on the sands. There is a decent wee café too.
Just north of the Borders lies East Lothian, a famously sunny part of Scotland that is home to a slew of first class beaches. North Berwick is a great base for exploring them, an old Victorian resort that itself offers a brace of sandy beaches. I prefer Seacliff, a stunner that reclines further to the west.
If you love beach walks I recommend hiking from North Berwick to Gullane – you will be on beaches most of the way. You have a curl of sand dunes to your left most of the way and to your right you can make out many of the islands that dot the Firth of Forth. Gullane itself is a special beach with a car park handily located on a bluff just above.
Across the water in Fife the Fife Coastal Path is another littoral trail that connects an array of beaches. My favourite is Elie. The wide sands here unfold right in front of the pretty village. I recommend staying the night at the recently revamped Ship Inn (www.shipinn.scot). You can book a room with a view of the beach just in front. In summer at weekends they stage both BBQs and cricket matches on the sands.
Switching coasts again we delve into the Highlands, home to more jaw-dropping expanses of sand. In Lochaber the Sands of Morar – you may recognise them from the Hollywood film Local Hero – are picture postcard perfect and gaze out over the unmistakable volcanic island of Eigg. The sunsets here are arguably the finest in Scotland as the sun explodes over the isles in a rainbow of fiery reds, deep oranges and flamingo pinks.
The best beaches on the Highland mainland for me, though, lie in Wester Ross, where the world-class sands are never crowded. If you like camping, head for the Sands Caravan and Camping Park (www.sandscaravanandcamping.co.uk) just north of Gairloch. This was one of the stars of my Cool Camping: Scotland books. You can pitch right by the huge dunes that lead to the epic Big Sands beach. You can pick up the likes of their own farm beef and a bottle of Sauternes at their well-stocked shop, before a starlit wander along the beach.
Moving out to the isles now I take my young family out to Arran in the Firth of Clyde every year. Part of the reason is that it offers a necklace of family friendly beaches. We love crossing the stepping stones and eking through the dunes to Sannox and also the wide beach at Blackwaterfoot, which is great for building dams and sandcastles. My top pick, though, is little known and remote Torrylin in the south. The walk in from Lagg is well worth it.
Perhaps the best island for beaches in the Inner Hebrides, though, is sleepy Coll. This sinewy wee isle is home to what one local told me is no fewer than 23 beaches. I’ve visited over a dozen and am happy to report that they have all been stunning. We’re heading back this summer so look out for an update. For now my favourite is Traigh Sgaisteil, a lovely arch of milk white sand.
Across the Minch the Outer Hebrides for me offer quite simply the best beaches in the world. Idyllic sandy strips unfurl for much of the way along the west coast of this 130-mile long archipelago. The best of the best are on Harris. I struggle to decide whether Scarista or Luskentyre is my favourite. Both are gorgeous, but the wide sands of Luskentyre may just shade it as it’s a great place to forage for clams. There are plenty of other beaches on Harris too and they never get crowded.
You might not put the Northern Isles down as a beach destination and I’m making no claims about Mediterranean warmth up in the archipelago but – and it’s a big but – Shetland boasts some of most spectacular beaches I have ever clapped eyes on.
Indeed Shetland is home to around 100 beaches, which lie draped around Shetland’s 100 islands. The most famous is surely St Ninian’s Isle, where a jaw dropping tombolo strikes out between the Shetland mainland and the eponymous isle. As you stroll on the sands here the ocean laps both in front of and behind you. Great for photos too.
While St Ninian’s is a must visit I actually prefer another Shetland beach. It takes a bit of effort to get up to the isle of Unst (two ferries from the Shetland mainland), but the effort is seriously worth it for Easting. Here you descend by Viking ruins to a mind-blowingly beautiful blanket of puffy white sand. The colours of the water look like they have been touched up for a postcard, cobalt blues mixing with milky blues.
I’m coming to the end of this article in a very apposite place. I’ve just been for a stroll along the epic sands of Machir Bay on the isle of Islay. My only company here were the wee tweeting birds of the machair dunes as I descended to my favourite beach on Islay. Machir Bay is a glorious sweep of sand sided by rugged hills on both flanks, where the surf is often up.
I’ve still time to give you one more beach. I got up early for this last paragraph and yomped off in search of Kilbride from Portavadie. It’s my first visit to this remarkable wide sandy oasis on the southern tip of Cowal. Staring across to Arran with only seabirds for company I smile thinking of all the world-class beaches I’ve shared with you and also at the string of Scottish beaches I’ve still to discover.
Hotel of the Fortnight
When you’re looking for a slice of real hotel luxury for a special occasion in London it’s tempting to opt for one of the famous grand dames like the Savoy or the Ritz. While they have their charms I like some of the smaller luxury hotels that boast lots of character and a more personal level of service. I recently stayed at the Eccleston Square Hotel near Victoria and it was a winner. It featured the comfiest bed I’ve slept on in the UK capital and stylish décor that stayed on the comfortable side of minimalism. The location was ideal for Victoria railway station and tube, while the staff could not have been more helpful. www.ecclestonsquarehotel.com
Travel Tip – Party at the Palace
I thought my days of trudging off to a music festival were over until last summer when I discovered the glorious Party at the Palace. This fun music festival tempted me for two main reasons – it was properly family friendly and also held in a great location on the shore of the loch in historic Linlithgow. I loved taking my wee girls here, with plenty of distraction for them beyond the music and decent food outlets. This year’s two-day spectacular runs on the weekend of August 12-13. The two headliners are the Kaiser Chiefs and Amy Macdonald, with plenty of other bands on show with a variety of musical styles. www.partyatthepalace.co.uk
