To make the most of your staycations and day trips around Scotland this summer, we all want to know where the best beaches are.
However, to avoid disappointment for those of us who enjoy a swim too, a new study has revealed the cleanest, and dirtiest beaches around the country.
The research from energy comparison website, SaveOnEnergy.com/uk, set out to find Britain’s beaches with the cleanest, or filthiest, water.
To do this, they investigated levels of faecal indicators (E. Coli (EC) and Intestinal Enterococci (IE)) in the ocean, as tested yearly by the government, to find which beaches are best for a paddle and which are best left well alone.
Using data from 546 beaches around England, Scotland and Wales, they analysed each, giving them a ranking from 0 (dirtiest) to 100 (cleanest).
The cleanest beach in Scotland was Achmelvich Beach in Lochinver, with this stunning bay and unspoiled beach being given a finishing cleanliness score of 87.1/100.
Other Scottish beaches in the top five for the cleanest waters, were Seacliff Beach in North Berwick (85.7/100), Dornoch Beach which came third with a cleanliness score of 83.3/100, with Elie (Ruby Bay) in fourth (73.3/100) and Elie (Harbour) and Earlsferry (71.7/100) in fifth.
Incredibly, and despite our reputation for having some of the most unspoiled beaches in the UK, Achmelvich only ranked 59th out of all 546 beaches in England, Scotland and Wales.
Coastal Area |
Country |
District |
Score for E. coli (/50) |
Score for Intestinal enterococci (/50) |
Final Score (/100) |
|
#1 |
Achmelvich |
Scotland |
Highland |
43.2 |
43.9 |
87.1 |
#2 |
Seacliff |
Scotland |
East Lothian |
40.9 |
44.8 |
85.7 |
#3 |
Dornoch |
Scotland |
Highland |
37.0 |
46.3 |
83.3 |
#4 |
Elie (Ruby Bay) |
Scotland |
Fife |
34.6 |
38.7 |
73.3 |
#5 |
Elie (Harbour) and Earlsferry |
Scotland |
Fife |
26.1 |
45.6 |
71.7 |
The report also crowned Kinghorn (Harbour Beach) as having the dirtiest water in Scotland, with a final score of just 0.1 out of 100, making it the least safe place to have a paddle.
The second dirtiest beach in Scotland is the Heads of Ayr, while in third place is Ayr (South Beach), with a final cleanliness score of just 1.1/100.
Ranking fourth is Fisherrow Sands with a cleanliness score of 1.3/100, followed by Eyemouth Beach in fifth with a score of 3.3/100.
Don't miss the top culture and heritage stories from around Scotland. Sign up to our twice weekly Scotland Now newsletter here.
