The 53 beaches named as winners of the Scottish beach awards

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Though it'll come as no surprise that Scotland is home to some of the world's most beautiful beaches. And an annual award which seeks to recognise those that are the best-managed, as well as acting as a benchmark for local environmental quality, has just announced the over 50 beaches its chosen as recipients in 2022.

To be successful in achieving Scotland’s Beach Award, a beach must meet a range of criteria, including beach safety, access and facilities, and cleanliness.This is the 30th year of the Scotland's Beach Award being given out, since the awards first launched in 1992 with the first two beaches – Gullane Bents in East Lothian and St Andrews West Sands in Fife.

In 2022, a total of 53 beaches have achieved the accolade – from Shetland to the Scottish Borders.This year we welcome back many long-standing award participants, as well as Irvine Beach and Ayr South beach after a short break.Fife retains its title as the region with the most awards, home to 15 winning beaches.East Lothian and Aberdeenshire both have eight award beaches.Speaking about the awards, Barry Fisher, CEO of Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “It is wonderful to see 53 sites win Scotland’s Beach Award status this year and we are delighted to celebrate with all those employees and volunteers who work tirelessly to ensure award standards are maintained.“As the only accreditation for beach management of its kind in Scotland, we aim to drive up environmental standards along the coastline of our country for residents and visitors alike.“Scotland’s coastlines and waters attract thousands of visitors every year and I’d encourage everyone to #RespectProtectEnjoy these beaches this summer.”While chief executive of VisitScotland Malcolm Roughead stated that