Hidden gem beach less than hour from Scots city among best UK picnic spots

WHILE the sun might not be splitting the skies, summer is still the perfect time for a picnic.

Scotland has some stunning spots to eat in the great outdoors.

And one hidden gem beach has just been named in a list of the best places to enjoy snacking al fresco.

Belhaven beach, in Dunbar, East Lothian, comes in an number two in a new list of recommended picnic spots across the UK.

The unspoiled and often almost empty expanse of sand that sits within the John Muir Country Park.

The bay stretches from Belhaven to the north of the River Tyne and is backed by sheltering sand dunes, with stunning views over the Forth Estuary, making it the perfect place to hunker down and enjoy your sarnies.

Once you’ve filled up, there’s a beautiful cliff top walk by Dunbar, which passes the harbour and a ruined castle, to help you work off your lunch.

And there is a new visitor centre about John Muir and a town house museum, if you’re looking for a bit of culture.

Taking second spot in the list, compiled by The Sunday Times, it’s recommended that visitors take a car to the coastal spot and ‘stop along the way at Belhaven Smokehouse near Dunbar and buy smoked salmon sandwiches or mackerel pâté with Scottish oatcakes’.

The beach was only pipped to the post by Whitstable Bay in Kent.

Visitors can laze in the sun, when it appears, on a grassy knoll before wandering down to beach huts which are dotted along the sand.

Travel experts say there’s ‘not one perfect picnic spot but many, depending on what the weather’s up to’.

Also included on the list are the likes of West Angle Bay in Pembrokeshire and Prussia Cove in Cornwall.

It’s not the first time Scotland has ranked highly for its amazing beaches.

Earlier this year The Lonely Planet included a Scots bay among the most under-rated stretches of sand in the world.

Meanwhile, 51 of the country’s coastal spots made the cut for this year’s Scotland’s Beach Awards.