Ruby Bay

The sand here has a distinctive reddish tint - that's where Ruby Bay gets its name, though the colour comes from iron oxide in the rock rather than anything particularly exotic. It's a small, sheltered cove just outside Leven on the Fife coast, and it's the sort of place where you can actually hear yourself think, which is rare enough these days.

What you get is a decent stretch of beach that stays relatively quiet even in summer. The walk down is straightforward, and once you're there, it's good for a proper potter about, collecting stones or just sitting with a coffee watching the water. The red sand does photograph well if you're into that sort of thing. It's not dramatic cliffs or anything - more of a gentle coastal curve with rocky outcrops - but that's rather the point. Children will entertain themselves for a couple of hours easily enough, and dog walkers clearly love it.

If you're staying at one of the nearby parks - Elie Holiday Park is just two miles away, Catchpenny Safari Lodges even closer - this makes a straightforward morning or afternoon outing without needing to plan anything elaborate. It's the kind of place you'd combine with a visit to Leven itself or a longer coastal walk rather than treating as a destination in its own right. Best visited on a calm day when the rocks are properly exposed; windier conditions can make it a bit bleak. Free to access, naturally, and there's no entrance fee or faffing about.