Bathing water quality in Scotland

Scotland has 90 designated bathing waters. The regulator's latest classifications are 47 Excellent, 26 Good, 13 Sufficient and 3 Poor.

Updated July 2026

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The cleanest beaches in Scotland

Rated Excellent or Good in the regulator's latest annual classification. Open any beach for today's live verdict.

Rated Excellent Aberdeen Scotland Rated Excellent Aberdour (Silversands) Scotland Rated Excellent Aberdour Harbour (Black Sands) Scotland Rated Excellent Achmelvich Scotland Rated Excellent Anstruther (Billow Ness) Scotland Rated Excellent Arbroath (West Links) Scotland

Every bathing water in Scotland

Rated Excellent Aberdeen Scotland Rated Excellent Aberdour (Silversands) Scotland Rated Excellent Aberdour Harbour (Black Sands) Scotland Rated Excellent Achmelvich Scotland Rated Excellent Anstruther (Billow Ness) Scotland Rated Excellent Arbroath (West Links) Scotland Rated Excellent Balmedie Scotland Rated Excellent Broughty Ferry Scotland Rated Excellent Carnoustie Scotland Rated Excellent Carrick Scotland Rated Excellent Crail (Roome Bay) Scotland Rated Excellent Cruden Bay Scotland Rated Excellent Cullen Bay Scotland Rated Excellent Culzean Scotland Rated Excellent Dornoch Scotland Rated Excellent Dunnet Scotland Rated Excellent Elie (Harbour) and Earlsferry Scotland Rated Excellent Elie (Ruby Bay) Scotland Rated Excellent Findhorn Scotland Rated Excellent Fraserburgh (Philorth) Scotland Rated Excellent Gairloch Beach Scotland Rated Excellent Ganavan Scotland Rated Excellent Gullane Scotland Rated Excellent Kingsbarns Scotland Rated Excellent Kirkcaldy (Seafield) Scotland Rated Excellent Largs (Pencil Beach) Scotland Rated Excellent Loch Morlich Scotland Rated Excellent Lunan Bay Scotland Rated Excellent Machrihanish Scotland Rated Excellent Millport Bay Scotland Rated Excellent Monifieth Scotland Rated Excellent Montrose Scotland Rated Excellent Nairn (Central) Scotland Rated Excellent Nairn (East) Scotland Rated Excellent Pease Bay Scotland Rated Excellent Peterhead (Lido) Scotland Rated Excellent Prestwick Scotland Rated Excellent Rosehearty Scotland Rated Excellent Rosemarkie Scotland Rated Excellent Sand Beach Scotland Rated Excellent Seacliff Scotland Rated Excellent Seamill Scotland Rated Excellent St Andrews (East Sands) Scotland Rated Excellent Stonehaven Scotland Rated Excellent Thorntonloch Scotland Rated Excellent Troon (South Beach) Scotland Rated Excellent Whitesands Scotland Rated Good Barassie Scotland Rated Good Brighouse Bay Scotland Rated Good Broad Sands Scotland Rated Good Coldingham Scotland Rated Good Collieston Scotland Rated Good Dores Scotland Rated Good Dunbar (Belhaven) Scotland Rated Good Ettrick Bay Scotland Rated Good Fraserburgh (Tiger Hill) Scotland Rated Good Inverboyndie Scotland Rated Good Irvine Scotland Rated Good Kinghorn (Pettycur) Scotland Rated Good Leven Scotland Rated Good Longniddry Scotland Rated Good Lossiemouth (East) Scotland Rated Good Lunderston Bay Scotland Rated Good Luss Bay Scotland Rated Good Mossyard Scotland Rated Good North Berwick (Milsey Bay) Scotland Rated Good North Berwick (West) Scotland Rated Good Saltcoats/Ardrossan Scotland Rated Good Sandyhills Scotland Rated Good Seton Sands Scotland Rated Good St Andrews (West Sands) Scotland Rated Good Thurso Scotland Rated Good Wardie Bay Scotland Rated Sufficient Ayr (South Beach) Scotland Rated Sufficient Burntisland Scotland Rated Sufficient Dhoon Bay Scotland Rated Sufficient Dunbar (East) Scotland Rated Sufficient Eyemouth Scotland Rated Sufficient Girvan Scotland Rated Sufficient Heads of Ayr Scotland Rated Sufficient Maidens Scotland Rated Sufficient Portobello (Central) Scotland Rated Sufficient Portobello (West) Scotland Rated Sufficient Rockcliffe Scotland Rated Sufficient Southerness Scotland Rated Sufficient Yellow Craig Scotland Rated Poor Fisherrow Sands Scotland Rated Poor Kinghorn (Harbour Beach) Scotland Rated Poor Lower Largo Scotland Unclassified Ballachulish Penninsula Scotland

Common questions

Which beach is cleanest in Scotland?: Aberdeen holds an Excellent classification, the regulator's top tier. 73 of the 90 bathing waters in Scotland are rated Excellent or Good.
How many bathing waters are in Scotland?: 90. The regulator's latest classifications are 47 Excellent, 26 Good, 13 Sufficient and 3 Poor.