St. Cyrus Beach

The beach at St Cyrus sprawls for nearly two miles along the Aberdeenshire coast, hemmed in by dramatic red sandstone cliffs that look proper striking when the light hits them right. It's the kind of place where you can actually walk for hours without seeing another soul, which makes a nice change from the honeypot beaches down south.

The cliffs themselves are the real draw here - they're called the St Cyrus Mound and they've got geological significance that rocks enthusiasts will appreciate, though honestly you don't need to know the science to find them beautiful. The beach itself is wide and sandy at low tide, pebbly nearer the cliffs, and there's a decent lagoon area that's decent for spotting waders and terns if you're into that sort of thing. Families with young kids will manage fine for a morning, though after an hour or two there's not much beyond the walk and the views to occupy them.

It's free to access and you can park up near Montrose, which is just four miles away. The nearest St Cyrus Holiday Park sits less than a kilometre from the beach entrance, so if you're basing yourself there for a week, this becomes a daily outing rather than a special trip. Best visited at low tide when you've got maximum sand to work with. Not worth dragging yourself out of your way for specifically, but if you're staying in the area it's definitely worth the short drive.