8 Scottish beaches named among UK's best to visit in 2026

This beach has been named the best in Scotland by The Times and Sunday Times (Image: Colin Smith)

EIGHT Scottish beaches have been named among the UK's best to visit.

The 18th annual Times and Sunday Times 50 Best UK Beaches guide was published on Monday.

It is a definitive and comprehensive list of the UK's 50 best beaches.

The selection process is rigorous and involves a five-week long, 4307-mile survey of 607 longlisted spots.

The guide is the only annual gazetteer of the British coast in which every listed beach has been personally inspected within the previous eight weeks.

Horgabost Beach, on the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides, has been crowned Scotland's best beach.

Horgabost Beach, Outer Hebrides (Image: M J Richardson)

Chris Haslam, chief travel writer at The Times and Sunday Times, said of the beach: “The name Luskentyre stands with Shangri La and Timbuktou as a near mythic incarnation of isolated beauty, and it keeps that promise, with icing-sugar sand, turquoise waters and candyfloss clouds drifting over Taransay and the purple hills of Harris. There is, however, an even better spot.

"Horgabost lies two miles south-by-southeast across Losgaintir Bay, with a north view like Luskentyre, but grander.

"You’ll see it from the A859, but the only way you can reach it is through the Horgabost campsite.

"At the far end of the site, near the ablutions block, there’s a beachside field where, as long as you carry your kit from your car, you can camp right above the beach, with that view all to yourself."

A 12-point inspection process takes place to compile the guide, with criteria including cleanliness, accessibility, parking, lifeguard provision, the condition of toilets and showers, dog-friendliness and water quality.

This year, a new criterion has been added – community engagement – to reflect how local people can transform a beach from "a soulless summer money-making machine into a year-round destination with genuine heart".

This is also the first year that the guide has expanded beyond mainland beaches, which is why it now includes entries from the Outer Hebrides.

Here are Scotland's eight best beaches.

These are the 8 best beaches in Scotland

1. Horgabost , Outer Hebrides
2. Gullane Bents , East Lothian
3. Castle Sands , Fife
4. St Cyrus , Aberdeenshire
5. Findhorn , Moray
6. Balnakeil , Highland
7. Kearvaig , Highland
8. Clachan Sands , Outer Hebrides