Burnt Island

There aren’t many beaches accessible from Central Scotland, but Burnt Island is one of them.

It’s not an island – but funnily enough, the sea lapping at the sand does look like it’s filled with black ash.

When we visited Burnt Island there was only a narrow stretch of sand along which this strange black ash lapped, but we didn’t find it particularly off-putting, and the kids enjoyed themselves.

There’s also a nice set of green fields just behind the beach as well, which you can let the kids burn off some energy on when you move away from the beach.

What surprised me particularly was the complete lack of seafront at Burnt Island – no arcades, no ice-cream parlours, no cafes or stalls selling bucks and spades – just a village green, then the sand.

Burnt Island isn’t a particularly bad place to visit, but it doesn’t score any particular praises either. It’s a small featureless village along a small and featureless beach, with an odd black line of ash at the sea’s edge.

However, due to the lack of accessible beaches in Central Scotland, if you have to go somewhere, this is probably a place to consider visiting for some kind of seaside experience.