Scotland’s beaches triumph in prestigious award celebration

More than 50 beaches have scooped Scotland's Beach Award from environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful and will be flying the prestigious flag this summer.  

Scotland’s Beach Award celebrates the achievements of well managed beaches across Scotland meaning that visitors and locals can chose where they want to visit with the knowledge that the beach is being looked after for people and the environment. A total of 52 beaches have received the award this year, from Aberdeenshire to the Scottish Borders.

Fife retains its title as the region with the most awards, boasting 14 winning beaches. Aberdeenshire and East Lothian follow with eight beaches receiving the award.

Last year we celebrated 30 years of beaches achieving awards, with St Andrews West Sands and Gullane Bents in East Lothian achieving the accolade consistently. Nairn Central and Aberdour Silver Sands have now received the accolade consistently for three decades.  Additionally, 40 beaches on the list have successfully achieved an award for 10 or more years.

A full regional list and breakdown of award winners can be found attached.

Jamie Ormiston, Awards Officer at Keep Scotland Beautiful said, “Scotland's Beach Awards are the benchmark for quality, celebrating clean, well-managed and sustainable beaches. Our award-winning beaches demonstrate excellent beach management and we hope that all who visit this year play their part in keeping them beautiful.  I’d like to thank all those who do so much to protect, maintain and enhance our beaches, protecting the sand and sea for us all to enjoy .”

In order to achieve Scotland’s Beach Award, a range of criteria must be met, including beach safety, access and facilities, and cleanliness. Focusing on local environmental quality, the award is designed to complement the work undertaken by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency on bathing water quality.  The full criteria can be accessed here.

A map showing all the award-winning beaches with directions, facilities and images can be found at www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/beach