Swimming spots in Scotland
90 swimming spots in Scotland — 90 designated bathing waters monitored by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. 16 carrying a caution. 73 with no current pollution alert.
- AberdeenAberdeen beach in Scotland is an officially designated bathing water.Good to go
- Aberdour Harbour (Black Sands)Aberdour Harbour (Black Sands) is a designated bathing water in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Good to go
- Aberdour (Silversands)A beach in Scotland, with parking and toilets 200m away.Good to go
- AchmelvichAchmelvich is a designated bathing water beach in Scotland with nearby toilets and parking.Good to go
- Anstruther (Billow Ness)An officially designated bathing water in Scotland with nearby parking.Good to go
- Arbroath (West Links)A designated bathing beach in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Good to go
- Ayr (South Beach)Ayr (South Beach) is a designated bathing water in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Caution
- Ballachulish PenninsulaAn officially designated bathing water in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Not monitored
- BalmedieBalmedie is a designated bathing beach in Scotland with parking 450m away.Good to go
- BarassieBarassie beach is an officially designated bathing water in Scotland.Good to go
- Brighouse BayBrighouse Bay is an officially designated bathing water beach in Scotland.Good to go
- Broad SandsGood to go
- Broughty FerryBroughty Ferry is a designated bathing beach in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Good to go
- BurntislandA designated bathing beach in Scotland with parking 300m away.Caution
- CarnoustieCarnoustie is a designated bathing beach in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Good to go
- CarrickCarrick is a designated bathing beach in Scotland with parking 200m away.Good to go
- ColdinghamColdingham beach is an officially designated bathing water in Scotland.Good to go
- ColliestonCollieston is a designated bathing beach in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Good to go
- Crail (Roome Bay)Roome Bay beach in Crail, Scotland is an officially designated bathing water.Good to go
- Cruden BayCruden Bay is a designated bathing water beach in Scotland.Good to go
- Cullen BayCullen Bay is a designated bathing beach in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Good to go
- CulzeanA designated bathing beach in Scotland with nearby parking.Good to go
- Dhoon BayDhoon Bay is a designated bathing water in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Caution
- DoresBeach on Loch Ness, Scotland, with nearby parking and toilets.Good to go
- DornochDornoch is a designated bathing beach in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Good to go
- Dunbar (Belhaven)A designated bathing beach in Scotland with nearby toilets.Good to go
- Dunbar (East)A designated bathing beach in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Caution
- DunnetDunnet is a designated bathing beach in Scotland, UK.Good to go
- Elie (Harbour) and EarlsferryElie Harbour and Earlsferry beach is an officially designated bathing water in Scotland.Good to go
- Elie (Ruby Bay)Ruby Bay is a beach in Elie, Scotland, with nearby parking and toilets.Good to go
- Ettrick BayEttrick Bay is a designated bathing beach on the Isle of Bute with a car park 450m away.Good to go
- EyemouthEyemouth is a designated bathing beach in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Caution
- FindhornA designated bathing beach in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Good to go
- Fisherrow SandsFisherrow Sands is a designated bathing beach in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Caution
- Fraserburgh (Philorth)Fraserburgh (Philorth) is a designated bathing beach in Scotland with parking 350m away.Good to go
- Fraserburgh (Tiger Hill)A designated bathing beach in Scotland with nearby parking.Good to go
- Gairloch BeachA designated bathing water beach in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Good to go
- GanavanGanavan is an officially designated bathing water beach in Scotland.Good to go
- GirvanGirvan is a designated bathing beach in Scotland with parking 300m away.Caution
- GullaneGullane beach in Scotland has nearby parking and public toilets.Good to go
- Heads of AyrA designated bathing beach in Scotland with nearby parking.Caution
- InverboyndieInverboyndie is a designated bathing beach in Scotland with parking 200m away.Good to go
- IrvineIrvine is a designated bathing beach in Scotland with parking 500m away.Good to go
- Kinghorn (Harbour Beach)A designated bathing beach in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Caution
- Kinghorn (Pettycur)A designated bathing beach in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Good to go
- KingsbarnsKingsbarns is a designated bathing beach in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Good to go
- Kirkcaldy (Seafield)A designated bathing beach in Scotland with nearby parking.Good to go
- Largs (Pencil Beach)Largs (Pencil Beach) is an officially designated bathing water in Scotland.Good to go
- LevenGood to go
- Loch MorlichFreshwater beach in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Good to go
- LongniddryGood to go
- Lossiemouth (East)A designated bathing beach in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Good to go
- Lower LargoA designated bathing beach in Scotland with nearby toilets and parking.Caution
- Lunan BayLunan Bay is a designated bathing water beach in Scotland.Good to go
- Lunderston BayA designated bathing beach in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Good to go
- Luss BayLuss Bay is a designated bathing water on Loch Lomond, with nearby parking and toilets.Good to go
- MachrihanishMachrihanish is a designated bathing beach in Scotland.Good to go
- MaidensA designated bathing beach in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Caution
- Millport BayMillport Bay is an officially designated bathing water in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Good to go
- MonifiethMonifieth beach is an officially designated bathing water in Scotland.Good to go
- MontroseMontrose is a designated bathing beach in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Good to go
- MossyardMossyard is a designated bathing beach in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Good to go
- Nairn (Central)Nairn Central is a designated bathing beach in Scotland with nearby toilets and parking.Good to go
- Nairn (East)A designated bathing beach in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Good to go
- North Berwick (Milsey Bay)A beach in North Berwick, Scotland, designated as bathing water.Good to go
- North Berwick (West)A designated bathing beach in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Good to go
- Pease BayGood to go
- Peterhead (Lido)A designated bathing beach in Peterhead, Scotland with nearby parking.Good to go
- Portobello (Central)Beach in Scotland, United Kingdom, with designated bathing water.Caution
- Portobello (West)A designated bathing beach in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Caution
- PrestwickPrestwick beach is an officially designated bathing water in Scotland.Good to go
- RockcliffeRockcliffe is a designated bathing beach in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Caution
- RoseheartyRosehearty is a designated bathing water beach in Scotland.Good to go
- RosemarkieRosemarkie beach in Scotland is an officially designated bathing water.Good to go
- Saltcoats/ArdrossanBeach in Saltcoats/Ardrossan, Scotland with nearby toilets and parking.Good to go
- Sand BeachA designated bathing water beach in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Good to go
- SandyhillsSandyhills is a designated bathing beach in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Good to go
- SeacliffA designated bathing beach in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Good to go
- SeamillSeamill is a designated bathing beach in Scotland with parking nearby.Good to go
- Seton SandsSeton Sands is a designated bathing beach in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Good to go
- SouthernessSoutherness beach in Scotland is an officially designated bathing water.Caution
- St Andrews (East Sands)East Sands is a designated bathing beach in St Andrews, Scotland.Good to go
- St Andrews (West Sands)West Sands is a designated bathing beach in St Andrews, Scotland.Good to go
- StonehavenStonehaven is a designated bathing water beach in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Good to go
- ThorntonlochThorntonloch is a designated bathing beach in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Good to go
- ThursoA designated bathing beach in Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Good to go
- Troon (South Beach)A designated bathing water beach in Troon, Scotland with nearby parking and toilets.Good to go
- Wardie BayOfficially designated bathing water in Scotland with nearby parking.Good to go
- WhitesandsWhitesands is an officially designated bathing water beach in Scotland.Good to go
- Yellow CraigCaution
Common questions
- How many swimming spots are there in Scotland?
- 90 in Scotland, the United Kingdom, 90 of them officially designated bathing waters with published water-quality monitoring.
- Is it safe to swim in Scotland right now?
- That depends on the spot, and it changes. Of the 90 listed here, 16 carry a caution, 73 have no current pollution alert, 1 is not monitored. Check the individual spot before you go — and note that bathing-water monitoring covers bacterial quality only. Tides, currents, swell and cold-water shock are not part of it, and nothing on this site is a clearance to swim.
- Who monitors water quality in Scotland?
- The Scottish Environment Protection Agency publishes the bathing-water data for Scotland. Everything shown here comes from that published data.