A lovely wide and soft, sandy, beach which is over a mile long and safe for swimming or walking…read more There are picnic areas and many benches along the promenade and marvellous views across the River Clyde to Arran, Aisa Craig and Kintyre. Plenty of parking spaces in the huge car park. It's not far to walk into the town from here and the nearby harbour is also a pleasant place to visit for a stroll (or a sail if you have a boat)!

A lovely, long, shingle and sand beach which is within a short stroll from the town. Accessible for…read moreeveryone, the bordering promenade is wide and flat with benches facing the River Clyde. The views are beautiful across the water, especially towards Gourock and the Cloch Lighthouse, and it's nice to watch the ferries coming in and out. It's very peaceful around here as well as it's away from the road - it a lovely place to walk. I've met some very pleasant friendly people to chat to as well!

Lovely place to stroll along with the dogs, very peaceful and quiet with beautiful scenery…read more People that you do happen across are polite and friendly and happy to chat!

Portencross is a beautiful beach area just as you come out of Seamil heading to Largs on the A78…read more Follow the road down to the beach front car park and you can take a nice walk along the beach front, visit the old Portencross Castle and generally just take it easy and enjoy the scenery. There is also a pier where you fish from. Dispite this place being signposted, its always quiet so its a great place to go to for peace and quiet.

This is a small, fairly shallow bay around 300 metres in length and found at the south end of Largs…read morenot far from the Pencil Monument, hence the name. There's plenty of gorgeous soft sand and it's a lovely place to spend some time relaxing on a warm summer's afternoon (as I did today!) It has been considered a safe bathing area since 2006 and, in 2009, the beach won the Keep Scotland Beautiful Seaside Award. This means that there are excellent litter management policies in place, very good bathing water quality, and information boards beside the beach. There's no lifeguard and parking might be a bit tricky. The best thing is probably to walk from the town centre, which isn't far away. Otherwise the parking facilities at the Marina nearby might be the best bet (there's a cafe there too).

I've been coming here for years as it's literally a few minutes from my house. It's a wonderful…read morearea for dogs to run around in and normally very quiet unless it's a very sunny day or is the weekend. Nature lovers can come here and Bird Watch as it's a Nature Reserve. Cyclists, Runners and Walkers use the park as a trail as it goes all the way past Mar Hall. Just watch out for dog poop, it's not generally picked up.

Not that it feels it but this is a small woodland, in Erskine beside the Erskine Bride on the edge…read moreof the River Clyde. There's a number of woodland walks, a few trails take you down to Erskine beach, where the old Erskine Ferry used to cross. There's lots of picnic areas and seats to rest at. The walk has circular paths or you can walk around the edge. There's a network of about 2 miles (3km) trails, all ideal for easy walking and cycling. The paths are wide and smooth, so great for buggies too but be prepared for a few short moderate slopes.

A pleasant and tranquil little beach where I hadn't been for years until recently when I had a walk…read morethere. It's very easy to miss (when driving past on the main road) but found by turning off the A78 at the War Memorial in Fairlie village a few miles south of Largs. There's a mixture of sand, shingle and rocks on the beach itself. There's a free car park at the end of Pier Road quite close to the water and public toilets nearby. There's no lifeguard. I've no idea of the quality of the water for swimming but it's a nice place to take a stroll and appreciate the views of the Clyde.

A nice, long beach…read more We've been staying in Irvine for one night before taking the ferry to Ireland. There wasn't much to do in town (very very dog-unfriendly; even in beer gardens), so we headed to Irvine Beach. It's only a short drive from town and there is plenty of free parking lots just at the beach. It is a lovely, clean and long stretch of sands behind some nice dunes. Visitors here are mostly locals and you can even spot some people riding their horses here. So of course it's dog-friendly too. Our doggy had a blast running along the shore. Since it's such a long beach, you won't be bothered much by other people, there is just so much space here. It was summer, but still it was pretty chilly with some strong winds. At dusk you might wanna bring a light jacket. There are toilets right at the parking lot, but besides that we didn't spot any other facilities. If you want a nice picnic I guess it's best to stock up some food at the close-by Rivergate Shopping Mall.

A gorgeous, remote beach - perhaps the most beautiful on the Isle of Bute, about 3 miles west of…read moreRothesay on the opposite coastline. The beach is a mixture of sand and shingle and stretches for over a mile. There are marvellous views on a clear day towards Arran and Kintyre. The seasonal tour bus will drop you off here beside a wonderful cafe - the Ettrick Bay Tearoom (definitely not to be missed!) and you can have a meal, walk along the beach and pick up a later bus to take you back to Rothesay. If you have the car with you there is a large car park beside the cafe. Nearby is the ancient Colmac stone circle.

Cardwell Bay provided a safe mooring for the flying boats during World War 2 but now gives a safe…read moreanchorage to visiting boats. Although there were plans to redevelop the whole area recently - with hotels, shops and the like; even a canal with lock gates (!) - I for one am so glad this didn't go ahead. It's a lovely spot just as it is and a perfect place to take a quiet stroll. Imagine how noisy it would have become for local residents and walkers, during the building and ever afterwards too! There's a children's play area at one end of the promenade and lots of benches with delightful views looking out over the water and to the nearby Battery Park across the bay. I spent many happy hours here as a small child, mostly down on the beach, and it was wonderful to visit again recently and take photos.