New Research has revealed the health benefits of open water swimming, including improved mental health and wellbeing.
So where are the best spots in Scotland to give it a go?
Tourism body VisitScotland has compiled a list of eight of the best -
1. Loch Achilty, Highlands
A great location for first-timers, swimmers can wade in to the water without crossing any slippery rocks.
2. Milarrochy Bay, Loch Lomond
Surrounded by Munros and walking trails, the sandy bay is close to the town of Balmaha.
3. Loch Morlich, Aviemore, Highlands
An award-winning beach right in the heart of Cairngorms National Park.
4. Castle Stalker, Argyll and The Isles
The water of Loch Laich surrounds the castle on its own little tidal island.
5. Great and Little Bernera, Outer Hebrides
With turquoise waters, the secluded lagoon of Little Bernera could be mistaken for The Maldives.
6. Lower Diabaig, North West Highlands
A secret little cove along the north coast of Scotland, this spot is found at the end of the road in the tiny Highland hamlet.
7. River Tay, Perthshire
Scotland’s longest river that flows through Perth and on to Dundee.
8. Gullane, East Lothian
Lovely beach with a narrow, sandy shoreline and views of the Firth of Forth.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel