Cleanest beaches in Scotland

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

Updated September 2026

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Top rated

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

Rated Excellent Aberdeen Aberdeen City Rated Excellent Aberdour (Silversands) Fife Rated Excellent Aberdour Harbour (Black Sands) Fife Rated Excellent Achmelvich Highland Rated Excellent Anstruther (Billow Ness) Fife Rated Excellent Arbroath (West Links) Angus

Every bathing water in Scotland

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

Areas in Scotland

Aberdeenshire 9 bathing waters
Angus 5 bathing waters
Dumfries and Galloway 7 bathing waters
East Lothian 13 bathing waters
Fife 15 bathing waters
Highland 12 bathing waters
North Ayrshire 5 bathing waters
South Ayrshire 8 bathing waters

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.