Sands of St Cyrus

The beach at St Cyrus stretches for miles along the Aberdeenshire coast, backed by proper sand dunes and the kind of wide, flat sand that makes you want to walk for hours. It's north of Montrose, a short drive from town, and feels genuinely away from it all - you won't find fairground tackiness or crowded seafront promenades here. The dunes are a nature reserve, so there's an actual landscape to explore beyond just plonking yourself on the beach. Wild flowers in summer, proper birdwatching potential, and paths that wind through the marram grass. For families, it's excellent - the sand is firm enough for building, and the scale of the place means kids can run about without feeling hemmed in. Walkers will love it; the coastal path stretches in both directions, and you can easily spend a half-day here without repetition. The water's cold, mind you - this is Scottish North Sea - but on a decent summer's day it's swimmable if you're not fussed about comfort. Allow two to three hours if you're doing the dunes and a proper walk; an hour if you're just after a beach stomp and a paddle. St Cyrus Holiday Park sits just 1.4 miles up the road, which makes this a natural pairing for a caravan or static break in the region. It's free to access, no facilities to speak of, so bring a picnic. Go when the weather's halfway decent - summer weekends can be busy, but midweek in May or September is lovely and quieter.