Portobello Beach

Three miles of golden sand stretching out from Musselburgh like someone rolled out a carpet just for you. Portobello Beach is proper straightforward - a long, flat strand backed by a pleasant promenade with cafes and fish and chip shops, the sort of place you come to when you want seaside without the theatre.

What you actually get is a solid family beach. The sand is good for sandcastles, the slope is gentle enough that paddling is manageable even with small kids, and the water is cold but swimmable in summer if you're hardy. There's a skateboard park at one end and a putting green, but honestly you're here for the basics - a walk, an ice cream, a bit of wind in your hair.

The promenade walk itself is worth doing. Head east towards the old Portobello Pans works (now just ruins, but interesting enough) or west towards Fisherrow. The town itself - Musselburgh - is minutes inland, so you're not marooned.

It won't blow your mind. The water's not Caribbean blue and the cliffs aren't dramatic. But if you're camping at Drummohr or doing a wider East Lothian loop with the other parks nearby, it's well worth an afternoon. Bring layers. The Scottish coast doesn't do cosy, but it does deliver that proper holiday feeling without the crowds you'd get further south. Best visited on a clear day when you can actually see across the Forth.