SCOTLAND’S environment watchdog has ranked the water quality at swimming sites across the country ready for the summer season.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said it was monitoring the water at 90 different sites – and has released rankings for 89 of them. Ballachulish Peninsula, on Loch Leven on the west coast, is a newly designated site and has not yet been classified.
Throughout the season, which runs from June 1 until September 15, Sepa takes regular water samples and provides water quality information and pollution risk forecasts to “help people make informed choices about where and when to bathe”.
For 2026, Scotland has:
- 47 bathing water sites ranked excellent
- 26 bathing water sites ranked good
- 13 bathing water sites ranked sufficient
- 3 bathing water sites ranked poor
Bathing water classifications are based on four years of monitoring data and are designed to provide a longer-term picture of water quality over time.
Ruth Stidson, principal specialist scientist at Sepa, said: “Bathing waters are important places for communities across Scotland and people rightly want clear information about water quality and the factors that can affect it.
“Sepa’s monitoring, forecasting and investigative work help people make informed choices throughout the bathing water season, while also helping us better understand the pressures affecting Scotland’s bathing waters over time.
“Improving water quality is not always straightforward. Conditions can be influenced by rainfall, wastewater infrastructure, runoff and activity across wider catchments and those pressures can vary from place to place.
“For 30 years, Sepa’s scientific monitoring and evidence have supported long-term improvements at bathing waters across Scotland, and we continue to work with partners to identify pollution risks and target action where improvements are still needed.”
Read on for the full list of the 89 monitored bathing water sites across Scotland, and their classifications for the 2026 season.
Scotland's bathing water sites ranked
- Aberdeen: Excellent
- Aberdour (Silversands): Excellent
- Aberdour Harbour (Black Sands): Excellent
- Achmelvich: Excellent
- Anstruther (Billow Ness): Excellent
- Arbroath (West Links): Excellent
- Ayr (South Beach): Sufficient
- Balmedie: Excellent
- Barassie Bay: Good
- Brighouse Bay: Good
- Broad Sands: Good
- Broughty Ferry: Excellent
- Burntisland: Sufficient
- Carnoustie: Excellent
- Carrick: Excellent
- Coldingham: Good
- Collieston: Good
- Crail (Roome Bay): Excellent
- Cruden Bay: Excellent
- Cullen Bay: Excellent
- Culzean: Excellent
- Dhoon Bay: Sufficient
- Dores: Good
- Dornoch: Excellent
- Dunbar (Belhaven): Good
- Dunbar (East): Sufficient
- Dunnet: Excellent
- Elie (Harbour) and Earlsferry: Excellent
- Elie (Ruby Bay): Excellent
- Ettrick Bay: Good
- Eyemouth: Sufficient
- Findhorn: Excellent
- Fisherrow Sands: Poor
- Fraserburgh (Philorth): Excellent
- Fraserburgh (Tiger Hill): Good
- Gairloch Beach: Excellent
- Ganavan: Excellent
- Girvan: Sufficient
- Gullane: Excellent
- Heads of Ayr: Sufficient
- Inverboyndie: Good
- Irvine: Good
- Kinghorn (Harbour Beach): Poor
- Kinghorn (Pettycur): Good
- Kingsbarns: Excellent
- Kirkcaldy (Seafield): Excellent
- Largs (Pencil Beach): Excellent
- Leven: Good
- Loch Morlich: Excellent
- Longniddry: Good
- Lossiemouth (East): Good
- Lower Largo: Poor
- Lunan Bay: Excellent
- Lunderston Bay: Good
- Luss Bay: Good
- Machrihanish: Excellent
- Maidens: Sufficient
- Millport Bay: Excellent
- Monifieth: Excellent
- Montrose: Excellent
- Mossyard: Good
- Nairn (Central): Excellent
- Nairn (East): Excellent
- North Berwick (Milsey Bay): Good
- North Berwick (West): Good
- Pease Bay: Excellent
- Peterhead (Lido): Excellent
- Portobello (Central): Sufficient
- Portobello (West): Sufficient
- Prestwick: Excellent
- Rockcliffe: Sufficient
- Rosehearty: Excellent
- Rosemarkie: Excellent
- Saltcoats/Ardrossan: Good
- Sand Beach: Excellent
- Sandyhills: Good
- Seacliff: Excellent
- Seamill: Excellent
- Seton Sands: Good
- Southerness: Sufficient
- St Andrews (East Sands): Excellent
- St Andrews (West Sands): Good
- Stonehaven: Excellent
- Thorntonloch: Excellent
- Thurso: Good
- Troon (South Beach): Excellent
- Wardie Bay: Good
- Whitesands: Excellent
- Yellow Craig: Sufficient
Sepa said that although for the 2026 season, Kinghorn (Harbour Beach), Lower Largo, and Fisherrow Sands remain classified as poor, improvement work “continues at all three sites”.
The watchdog added: “People visiting Scotland’s bathing waters can also help protect local water environments by disposing of litter responsibly, avoiding feeding gulls, clearing up after dogs and helping prevent sewer blockages by not flushing wet wipes, fats, oils and grease into drains and toilets.
“Information on Scotland’s bathing waters, including classifications, monitoring results, pollution risk forecasts and advice for visitors, is available on Sepa’s website throughout the bathing water season.”
