If you're fond of sand dunes and salty air...take the family off for a day out to one of Scotland's top beaches

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Scotland boasts seven "blue flag" beaches, a mark of distinction awarded by the independent Foundation for Environmental Education to locations meeting 32 criteria, including water quality and safety, and well as environmental management and education. They are: Broughty Ferry Beach, St Andrews West Sands, Leven East Beach, Aberdour Silver Sands, Burntisland, Elie Woodhaven (Ruby Bay), and Coldingham Bay. (For more information, visit www.blueflag.org.)

With today's edition of The Scotsman, you'll find a free map of Scotland's beaches. Thanks to our country's long and varied coastline, residents and visitors alike are spoiled for choice, so to help you decide where to start your oceanic explorations, we asked Pete Irvine, author of Scotland the Best (Collins, 14.99), for his top ten "best of the best". Here are the beaches he singled out for special mention.

Oldshoremore & the secret beach

The beach you pass on the road to Balchrick, only 3km from Kinlochbervie. It's easy to reach and a beautiful spot: the water is clear and perfect for swimming, and there are rocky walks and quiet places. For the secret beach, approach from Archmelvich car park going north (it's the next proper bay round) or Lochinver-Stoer/Drumbeg road; lay-by on the right 3km after Archmelvich turnoff, 250m beyond sign for Cathair Estate. Park on the right (going north) and walk towards the sea on left following the stream (a sign points to "Mill"). It's a well-defined path. Called Alltan na Bradhan, it's the site of an old mill, perfect for camping and swimming - perhaps after a hike on one of the Assynt area's hills.

West Sands, St Andrews

As A town beach, this is hard to beat - it dominates the view to the west of the town. A wide swathe of sand, not too unclean and swimmable; golf courses lie behind the dunes. A frequent blue flag winner, it is the family beach, made famous by the film Chariots of Fire. In terms of other Fife beaches, Kingsbarns is choicer, and residents of Edinburgh's New Town are often found on Elie, since that's a popular town for second homes.

Scarista & the beaches of South Harris

On the road south of Tarbert (20km) to Rodel, Scarista is so beautiful that people have been married there. The hotel over the road is worth staying in just for this, but it is also a great retreat. This coast has many extraordinary beaches. Nobody could not love them, though Scarista is the best known. It's fab here in early evening. There's a golf club overlooking Scarista, too, if you fancy a quick nine holes.

South Uist

Deserted but for birds (and sometimes cattle), this almost unbroken strand of beach running for miles down the west coast is perfect for getting away from it all. At any point you can get a very beautiful beach experience on the west side of nowhere. The machair is best in early summer (follow the Machair Way). Take any road off the spinal A865; usually less than 2km. A good spot to try is found if you turn off at Tobha Mor, 25km north of Lochboisdale; there are blackhouses and a chapel on the way to the sea. Listen to those birds!

Vatersay, Outer Hebrides

The tiny island joined by a causeway to Barra. A unique double beach, featuring twin crescents on either side of the isthmus. One is shallow and sheltered, and visible from Castlebay, the other an ocean beach with more rollers, so whatever the sea conditions, you'll be able to find a place still enough for swimming. There's a poignant memorial to a 19th century shipwreck in the Ocean Bay and another to a plane crash during the Second World War. Be warned, there's a helluva hill between Barra and Vatersay if you're cycling.

'Pete's Beach'

The One of many great beaches on the North Coast - being so far away, they tend to be quiet - that I've called my own. The hill above it is called Caennabeinne; it's 7km east of Durness. Coming from Tongue, it's just after where Loch Eriboll comes out to the sea and the road hits the coast again (there's a lay-by opposite). It's a small, perfect cove flanked by walls of coral-pink rock and shallow turquoise sea. Splendid from above (the land rises to a bluff with a huge boulder) and from below. They've recently built a lay-by, and buses stop there. I don't know if I'm responsible for that - if so, I apologise! Even so, it's very beautiful, easy to get down to, and the sand is gorgeous.

Bay at the Back of the Ocean, Iona

An EASY 2km walk (mostly on paved road) from the ferry from Fionnphort, south of Mull, or hire a bike from the store on your left as you walk into the village. Former Labour leader John Smith, who is buried by the Abbey, once told me that this was one of his favourite places. Knowing that, I looked at it afresh, and discovered that it's best when everyone's left Iona for the evening - it's such a tourist magnet that it fills up every day. Staying in one of the local hotels is a great way to appreciate the beach after the crowds have diminished.

Lunan Bay, near Montrose

About 5km from the main A92 road to Aberdeen it is 5km of deep red crescent beach under a wide northern sky. The But 'n' Ben restaurant, Auchmithie, is an excellent place to start or finish, and a good approach (from south), although Gordon's Restaurant at Inverkeilor is closer. You can climb up to the Red Castle. An evocative North Sea strand, Lunan is often deserted. I love this beach because it's so expansive and airy, and so big that you can often find you're the only person making footsteps in the sand. It's not near anywhere, so you get a terrific sense of space and sky.

Sandwood Bay, Kinlochbervie

This mile-long sandy strand with its old Stack is legendary; it's everybody's favourite out-of-the-way beach. Gloriously isolated, inaccessibility is its saving grace: it's a 7km walk from the sign off the road at Balchrick (near the cattle grid) which is 6km from Kinlochbervie; allow three to four hours for the trip there and back on top of your time there. More venturesome is the walk from the north and Cape Wrath. Go easy and go in summer! Stock up at the Tardis-like Mackays near Badcall. Despite being faraway, it's so well known that you wouldn't expected to find it deserted these days.

Kiloran Beach, Colonsay

Some 9km from the quay and hotel, past Colonsay House; there is parking and access on hill side. Colonsay itself is not that easy to get to, but once you do you're guaranteed a beautiful and tranquil escape. Kiloran is often described as the finest beach in the Hebrides. It doesn't disappoint, though it has changed character recently (a shallower sandbar traps tidal run-off). A classic cove beach, with craggy cliffs on one side, negotiable rocks on the other, tiers of grassy dunes between. Do go to the end! The island was once bought as a picnic spot. This beach was probably the reason why.