The Beaches of Scotland

Scotland is renowned for its dramatic, fierce landscapes, but many people don’t realise that some of the country’s most exhilarating scenery rests on its coastline. The Beaches of Scotland by Stacey McGowan Holloway is a guide to over 150 hand-picked beaches around Scotland’s coast, stretching from the mainland to the Outer Hebrides before sweeping north to Orkney and Shetland. These beaches offer something for everyone, from gentle sands which feel almost tropical to rugged coves which can only be accessed by kayak.

The selected beaches have not been chosen for purely aesthetic reasons: these locations offer some amazing opportunities for adventure. From surfing to snorkelling, kayaking, camping and cold-water swimming, this book travels from Kilmory Beach, with its views over the Paps of Jura, along single-track roads to Singing Sands on the Ardnamurchan peninsula. It takes you from Portabello on the edge of Edinburgh’s bustling streets to Kervaig Beach in the far north-west, where the lucky visitor may spot seals or puffins.

Experience Scotland at its wildest and most stunning at Achnahaird Bay, bask in the otherworldly sense that these remote beaches can inspire at Balnakeil, gaze in awe at the scenery you can’t quite believe is real on Berneray’s West Beach, or blow the cobwebs away as you wander along the sand of Dornoch in the far north-east. Whether you’re after a thrilling day getting salt in your hair or a peaceful escape from responsibilities and worries, Scotland’s coast has it all.

Featuring information on the facilities, access and activities that can be enjoyed at each beach, as well as custom mapping and stunning photography, The Beaches of Scotland is the perfect companion to your exploration of Scotland’s stunning coastline.

Dr Stacey McGowan Holloway has a passion for Scotland’s wild places. After working as an NHS clinical physicist and academic, Stacey swapped central London for the Scottish Highlands. She worked in community sport development, a role that covered the entire of Argyll and Bute, before returning to science and the NHS as a radiotherapy physicist and research fellow at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre. Stacey is a long-distance runner, year-round swimmer, member of the Oban Mountain Rescue Team and founder of the Oban Seals swimming group and Tyndrum 24 ultra-running race. She has written for outdoor magazines including Outdoor Swimmer, Women’s Running and Like the Wind. Alongside her husband Max, an Ocean Physicist at the Scottish Association for Marine Science, Stacey provides support and logistics to endurance athletes. The pair supported Lewis Pugh in his training camp swimming on the Isle of Lewis in 2020 and in Iceland in 2021. She lives in Oban on Scotland’s west coast with her husband and four hens.

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