Eight out of 12 award winning Highland beaches are in Sutherland
Eight of the 12 Highland beaches who have today been announced winners of the 2015 Scottish Seaside Awards, are in Sutherland.
They are Achmelvich, Brora, Dornoch, Durness, Embo, Golspie, Melvich and Strathy.
The charity for Scotland’s environment, Keep Scotland Beautiful, reward the efforts of beach managers and communities Scotland-wide in maintaining high standards. The news comes as beaches prepare to welcome visitors for the busy summer season.
Other Highland winners are: Loch Morlich, Portmahomack, Shandwick Bay and Nairn Central.
The annually presented Seaside Awards are the only accreditation for beach management which includes an on-site assessment of every beach.
This year 60 beaches in Scotland have been recognised for their excellent safety and environmental management procedures and good water quality.
The Seaside Awards are designed to recognise the rounded visitor experience, from good access to water quality, from toilet provision to cleanliness of the beach itself. As a result, beaches from Shetland to the Scottish Borders will be flying the Seaside Award flag this season.
Celebrating some of the cleanest and best managed beaches in the country, the Seaside Awards scheme has been used as a quality benchmark for Scotland’s beaches for the past 23 years.
Derek Robertson, Chief Executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “Beaches are an important asset to communities and their economies. It is vital that our coastlines are maintained to the highest standards to continue to attract visitors from near and far. Keep Scotland Beautiful will continue its work to ensure that Scotland’s beaches offer a great day out.
“From bustling promenades to secluded bays, our beaches have something for everyone to enjoy. It is greatly encouraging that such high standards being kept throughout Scotland.”
A map showing all the award-winning beaches with directions, facilities and pictures can be found at www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/beachawards.
