Best beaches in Highlands

A beach of brilliant white sand near Lochinver, on the wild Assynt coast in the north-west Highlands.

A remote beach near Kinlochbervie, and the starting point for one of the walking routes out to wilder Sandwood Bay along the coast.

Reached only by a four-mile walk with no road access, this John Muir Trust beach carries mermaid and shipwreck-ghost legends over a century old.

Real archaeological remains sit right at the bay: Highland-recorded longhouses, enclosures and a kelp kiln, plus a documented incised stone cross nearby.

Durness limestone and dolomite recognised as a Geological Society "Great Geosite", sitting directly beside the famous Smoo Cave.

A small Wester Ross beach with a real mountain backdrop rising straight up behind the sand, views open in every direction.

Looks directly across at Gruinard Island, site of real WWII anthrax weapons trials that left it contaminated and off-limits for nearly 50 years.