Jessie

Explorer Tom Carnoustie Beach sits below the town's famous golf links, a small sand-and-rock bay with a grand view across the Tay towards Fife. It is only a short walk from the railway station and centre of Carnoustie, so nobody needs to complete eighteen holes before earning a look at the sea. Visit Angus describes three ways down to the shore, with the main access by the boat club's steps and slipway. The sand gives way to rock in places, and low tide makes the rock pools especially tempting for careful explorers. Above it runs a seafront promenade; the nearby play area and sports centre make this an easy place to turn an unhurried beach stop into a longer afternoon. The Scottish beach awards listing describes a sandy east-facing bay with views towards the Tay estuary and Tentsmuir. It also notes accessible approaches by steps and ramps, and parking near the leisure centre and Links Parade. The promenade is a gentler choice if the uneven shore is not for you. Golf may get the headlines here, but the gulls and the tide have been running their own championship for considerably longer. This is a public beach and a designated bathing water, though the sea deserves more respect than the phrase 'designated' might suggest. Check current water information and local signs before swimming, and take care around rocks and changing tides. The beach is close to town, but it still gives you a proper bit of coast: salty air, open water, and a chance to watch Carnoustie's celebrated links from somewhere you will not have to retrieve a lost ball.