Embo Beach

The beach at Embo stretches out flat and golden, backed by low dunes and the kind of wide sky you only get in the far north. It's a proper working beach - fishing boats still launch from here, which gives the whole place a genuine feel rather than the polished holiday resort vibe you'll find elsewhere. The sand is firm underfoot, excellent for walking, and at low tide there's a surprising amount of space to explore. The water's cold, obviously, but on a calm day it's perfectly swimmable if you're the hardy sort.

Walkers will find this genuinely rewarding. The beach connects well with nearby routes, and the dunes are worth poking about in if you've got an hour to kill. Families with younger kids might manage 90 minutes before restlessness sets in - there's not much in the way of rock pools or traditional beach entertainment, so it's best suited to people who actually enjoy a quiet stretch of sand without the fairground atmosphere.

It's free to use, obviously. Dornoch sits just three miles south and makes a decent base for exploring this stretch of coast. Parkdean Resorts Grannie's Heilan' Hame is closer at less than a mile, though Dornoch Caravan & Camping Park offers better facilities if you're willing to drive that extra distance. Embo's one of those places that works best in settled weather - come on a grey, windy day and you might wonder why you bothered, but catch it right and it's genuinely lovely.