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There is nothing quite like finding a beautiful, white, sandy, uncrowded beach that you can explore alone, without tons of other people getting in the way. Finding new hidden gems makes for great road trips and adventures, but sometimes you do need some local knowledge to help find the best ones. We’ve tried to make it a bit easier for you by asking some of our adventure buddies where their favourite hidden beaches are and they’ve definitely delivered.
However, some of them were a little bit reluctant to give up their hidden spots as, let's face it, secret beaches are often kept secret by the people that frequent them for a reason. We put our heads together and came up with a compromise and agreed that it’s best not to plaster the names of these places over the internet and let them get found out by Google's search algorithm. Instead all of the amazing places below will be listed by their coordinates, meaning you’ll have to do a little bit of the work to find them yourselves. We promise it's worth it though. Happy exploring!
Just a little drive beyond a more popular beach in the north of Assynt, this beautiful white sand bay stops you in your tracks to slow down and take everything in. A place where time feels like it comes to a halt. The lush colours of the turquoise waters make for an appealing invitation to take a dip, or a paddleboard adventure around the rugged coastline that surrounds you.
Photo by Michael Lazenby: 58.18924273632172, -5.335894153179316
The first of my favourites is on the Isle of Mull. It’s a quiet beach on the south coast of the island with a white sand beach and crystal clear blue water. It’s an excellent place to camp, this is controlled by the croft on the land which has an honesty box to pay the extremely modest charge for the night. This beach is perfect for relaxing after a day of exploring the nearby isles of Iona and Staffa, which are some of my other favourite places.
Photo by Kier Mathieson: 56.29074010849102, -6.215980485811741
Photo by Kier Mathieson: 58.538817124598204, -5.060320349515144
Almost as far North-west as you can go, this beach sits at the end of a 4 mile hike through the remote highlands. As I was walking I found myself thinking that the beach had better be worth it and as I rounded the last corner all doubt was driven from my mind. The view opened up and before me were rolling grass covered dunes descending down to a smooth expansive beach enclosed on both sides by sheer cliffs. No matter the weather this place is bound to leave you speechless whether you relax all day in the sun or endure the howling winds, waves, and rain that Scotland’s north coasts are known for.
Photo by Fiona Reid - Shells collected at 56.03443283448352, -2.866620832555932
Photo by Fiona Reid: 56.03443283448352, -2.866620832555932
At first glance, this perhaps doesn’t look like the most impressive beach. Mostly it’s a beach of rock and shells, with a small area of sand over the rocks if you time your walk for a very low tide. But this tiny beach is special to me – and that’s largely because of the wider context. The main stretch of sandy beach at Gullane can be busy, whereas this beach, which lies just to the west, can be empty, or at least very quiet. You might encounter a few other walkers, but otherwise, if you’re searching for peace and quiet, you’ll find it here.
We’ll park in the main car park at Gullane (for the beach) and then take the path from the far side of the car park, walking in the direction of the golf course, before following the cliff top path with its incredible views out over the Forth towards Fife, and with the rocky shoreline below. The path to the beach winds between a row of WW2 sea defenses that stand atop the rocky outcrop – an easy path to miss - and once past these concrete blocks, the view just opens up.
I’ve never come across a beach with as many shells – especially white shells, and so many limpets. I love the textures of this beach – the variety in the rocks and the rock pools. There’s a washed up sleeper at the far end if you want to just perch with a flask of something hot and take in the view.
This isn’t a long walk, so time it for low tide if you can (I use the Tide Pro app) and then you can walk over the rocky shore – past that outcrop - and on past Bleaching Rocks to the long sandy beach at Gullane. We usually do this loop as we enjoy the contrast between the open clifftop views and then the shelly beach and rocky shore, and then finally the sandy beach beyond.
Point to note: the land (to the west) beyond this beach is part of Aberlady Nature Reserve and isn’t dog-friendly, but if you’re walking here without a canine companion, you can extend this walk into the nature reserve in the direction of Aberlady.
Photo by Patrick Alexander - Sea Stack at 57.28276825075106, -6.4582555055195545
Photo by Patrick Alexander - Black Sand at 57.28276825075106, -6.4582555055195545
Skye is home to this stunningly unique beach. Surrounded by cliffs this beach offers a dramatic waterfall, black sand a sea stack. For that reason alone I think it’s for sure a favourite of mine.
With it’s huge rock pools and waterfalls it’s a great spot for wild swimming. The beach is at it’s best at low tide when there is the most sand, otherwise it is mostly rocks.
Photo by Steve Henry - Beach at 56.652494, -6.569724
I visited the Isle of Coll a couple of years ago to swim with the Basking Sharks. As well as being home to the gentle sea giants, Coll has some of the best beaches in Scotland and they are usually free of people. Some of them take a bit of effort to get to, but they are most definitely worth it. This is one of my favorites from the trip.
Remember to adventure responsibly and respect these wonderful hidden beaches. Thanks again to our friends for helping us out on this one!
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