Loch Morlich is next to the park and with its Cairngorm Mountain backdrop is one of Scotland's most popular leisure lochs and one of our favourite places to visit.
Unusually it has a pleasant sandy beach which is ideal for picnics and is one of the winners of Scotland’s Beach Awards 2025. The Loch Morlich Trail is a 3 and a half mile circuit round the loch which is a favourite activity of ours.
Loch Morlich Watersports offers a range of watersports including paddle boarding, kayaking and sailing - with tuition and equipment hire available, as well as mountain biking. There is also a beach cafe.
Transport: 15 minutes' bus journey on the Aviemore Adventurer service which departs regularly from Aviemore train station.
See our Guide to Aviemore for more places to visit, accommodation and restaurants.
Loch Morlich Beach
Loch Morlich Beach
Try your hand at sailing
River Luineag meets Loch Morlich - part of the circular walk
See our Guide to the Inverness to the Black Isle route for more places to visit, accommodation and places to eat.
ROSEMARKIE BEACH
This long sandy beach is popular for paddling, swimming and walking. See Fortrose tide times (the nearest data point 0.9 miles/1.4 km away).
For a warm up afterwards there is Highland Mobile Sauna, a wood-fired sauna located at the beach.
It is possible to walk all the way to Chanonry Point in Fortrose, which takes about 30 minutes. The views are wonderful across the bay.
Transport: 30 to 40 minutes' bus journey from Inverness.
Looking back at Rosemarkie
Looking towards Chanonry Point
CROMARTY BEACHES
There are two pleasant long sandy beaches, a charming small harbour and a lighthouse. You may also see people from the community rowing club out in their beautiful wooden boat.
See Cromarty tide times. For a warm up afterwards there is the Cromarty Community Sauna.
The lighthouse was decommissioned in 2006 and is now a Field Station for the University of Aberdeen. The lighthouse lens is on display in the Cromarty Courthouse Museum.
Transport: 50 minutes' to 1 hour 10 minutes' bus journey from Inverness.
Marine Terrace and beach
Cromarty Harbour
Cromarty Beach looking towards the Sutors
Cromarty Lighthouse
Dornoch Beach is a large, sandy beach a short distance from the town centre. It is one of the winners of Scotland’s Beach Awards 2025. See Meikle Ferry tide times (the nearest data point 4 miles/7 km away).
Transport: 15 minutes' bus journey from Tain to Dornoch, followed by 15 minutes' walk.
See our Guide to Dornoch for more places to visit, accommodation and restaurants.
A beautiful summer's day at Dornoch Beach
This is a nice long sandy beach. See tide times.
Transport: 10 minutes' walk from Golspie train station.
See our Guide to Golspie for more places to visit, accommodation and places to eat.
See our Guide to Thurso for more places to visit, accommodation and restaurants.
The beach is 500 metres long, mostly sandy and is pleasant for a walk. See Scrabster tide times (the nearest data point 2 miles/3 km away).
Transport: 15 minutes' walk from Thurso train station.
Nice for a stroll
Looking out over Thurso Bay
Watching the waves
Surfer at Thurso Beach
Dunnet Bay is a two mile long sandy beach which is popular for surfing. Check the Dunnet Bay Surf Forecast.
Please note there are no lifeguards, showers or changing facilities at the beach.
There are two companies who offer surfing lessons and/or equipment hire: North Coast Watersports and Adventuro. It is a good idea to let them know you are travelling by bus to ensure they can meet you at the beach rather than at their nearby bases.
Transport: 20 minutes' bus journey from Thurso to Dunnet, followed by 10 minutes' walk. See Stagecoach services 80 and 280 and alight at stop 'Dunnet, Telephone Kiosk'.
This is a pleasant sandy beach with good views to Mull, Lismore and Morven. See Oban tide times.
For a warm up afterwards there is Wild Bathing's wood-fired sauna.
Transport: 20 minutes' bus journey from Oban - see West Coast Motors service 417 and alight at stop 'Ganavan Sands'.
See our Guide to Oban for more places to visit, accommodation and restaurants.
Morar is a small village near Mallaig. It is home to the Silver Sands of Morar, a series of glorious sandy beaches made famous by the film Local Hero. These beaches extend both sides of the River Morar.
There are two routes to the beaches from the village. Firstly, next to Morar Hotel is a signed path to the beach which includes crossing the A830.
Secondly, walk north through the village along Columba Road for about 10 minutes and use the underpass to cross the A830. Here are details of one walk you can do using this route.
There are further access points to the beaches to the south of the village.
See tide times for Mallaig (nearest data point, 2.1 miles from Morar).
See our Guide to the Banavie to Morar section of the line for accommodation and places to eat.
Morar Bay
Photo credit: “Morar Bay” by Reading Tom, CC BY 2.0
NAIRN BEACHES
Known as the 'Brighton of the North', Charlie Chaplain used to holiday here with his family. There are four sandy beaches at Nairn (Central, East, West and Whiteness) and swimming is popular. See Nairn tide times.
For a warm up afterwards there is Sauna Ostara, a wood-fired sauna in a converted horsebox overlooking the beach.
See our Guide to Nairn for more places to visit, accommodation and restaurants.
Nairn Beach
Photo credit: “Nairn Beach Scotland ...” by Rab Lawrence, CC BY 2.0
The coastal village of Findhorn is interesting and worth a visit. It has a popular long sandy beach. See Burghead tide times (nearest data point 4.8 miles/7.7 km away).
For a warm up afterwards there is Watershed Sauna, a wood-fired, nordic style mobile sauna in a vintage horse box located at the beach.
Transport: 20 minutes' bus journey from Forres - see Stagecoach service 32.
See our Guide to Forres for more places to visit in Findhorn and Forres, accommodation and restaurants.
Aberdeen Beach is a popular sandy beach 1 mile long. It is near facilities such as cafes, a cinema and an amusement park. See Aberdeen tide times.
For a warm up afterwards, there are two wood-fired saunas on the esplanade Barbossauna and Sea Biscuit Sauna.
Transport: 30 minutes' walk from Aberdeen train station.
See our Guide to Aberdeen for more places to visit, accommodation and restaurants.
North Sea from Aberdeen Beach
Photo credit: “North Sea from Aberdeen Beach, Scotland (2)” by Richard Mortel, CC BY 2.0
GAIRLOCH BEACHES
There are two sandy beaches: Wiltsea Beach and, around 20 minutes' walk away, the larger Gairloch Beach which is popular for swimming. See Gairloch tide times.
Reachable by a path from the Golf Club car park is An Dun Headland, which is a location on the North West Highlands Snorkel Trail.
See our Guide to Inverness to Poolewe and Gairloch for more places to visit, accommodation and places to eat.
Gairloch from between the two beaches
Gairloch Beach and Golf Club
See our Guide to Inverness to Durness and Guide to Thurso to Durness for more places to visit, accommodation and places to eat.
SANGO BAY, DURNESS
This popular sandy beach consists of three coves divided by rocks. See tide times for Kyle of Durness (nearest data point 2.5 miles/4 km away).
Sango Sands at Durness
Photo credit: “Sango Sands at Durness” by Martin Stone, CC BY-SA 2.0
BALNAKEIL BAY, DURNESS
Balnakeil Bay is around 25 minutes' walk from the centre of Durness with a sandy beach.
Balnakeil Bay
Photo credit: “Durness” by Graeme Churchard, CC BY 2.0
FARR BAY BEACH, BETTYHILL
This is a nice sandy beach though wrap up warm as we found it to be windy on every visit!
Transport: 15 minutes' walk from the centre of the village.
See our Guide to Thurso to Durness for more places to visit, accommodation and places to eat.
Far Bay Beach
View over Farr Bay
Page last updated 18 March 2026