Sandy Beaches

THURSO BEACH

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.

NEARBY DUNNET BAY BEACH

Dunnet Bay is a two mile long sandy beach which is popular for surfing. 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.

Please note there are no lifeguards, showers or changing facilities at the beach. Check the Dunnet Bay Surf Forecast.

Transport: The village of Dunnet is 20 minutes' bus journey from Thurso and from there it is 10 minutes' walk to the beach. See Stagecoach services 80 and 280 and alight at stop 'Dunnet, Telephone Kiosk'.

GANAVAN SANDS

This is a pleasant sandy beach with good views to Mull, Lismore and Morven. We recommend catching a bus as part of the walk is along a busy road with no pavement. 

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.

NEARBY FINDHORN BEACH

The coastal village of Findhorn is interesting and worth a visit. It has a popular long sandy beach. Findhorn Bay is a local nature reserve which is home to a variety of migrant and resident birds. There are various places where you can get lunch.

There is a Heritage Centre and Icehouse which tells the history of Findhorn and its role in the salmon fishing industry. It includes underground chambers which used to store ice for packing salmon for transport to London.

Walkhighlands has a suggested circular walk of around 3 miles around the village.

Also in the village is The Park Ecovillage (formerly the Findhorn Foundation). This is a spiritual community set in 15 acres of land, which lives an eco-friendly lifestyle. It welcomes visitors and provides guided tours.

Transport: Findhorn is 20 minutes' bus journey from Forres - see Stagecoach service 32.

See our Guide to Forres for more places to visit, 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.

Transport: 30 minutes' walk from Aberdeen train station. 

See our Guide to Aberdeen for more places to visit, accommodation and restaurants.

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.

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.

See our Guide to Inverness to the Black Isle for more places to visit, accommodation and places to eat.

SANDY BEACHES

There are two sandy beaches: Wiltsea Beach and, around 20 minutes' walk away, the larger Gairloch Beach which is popular for swimming. 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.

SANGO BAY

This popular sandy beach consists of three coves divided by rocks.

FARR BAY BEACH

This is a nice sandy beach though wrap up warm as we found it to be windy on every visit!

See our  Guide to Thurso to Durness for more places to visit, accommodation and places to eat.

Page last updated 5 December 2025