It's no secret that once you start your sea glass collecting journey, you just can't stop (the addiction is real!) and whether you are just starting out or you an expert sea glass finder, here are our personal top three locations for finding the best sea glass here in Scotland.
In the sea glass world, collectors can be split into two categories - those that collect to make/ craft from the sea glass and those that collect just for the pure joy of it. Afterall, no time spent at the beach is ever wasted; it clears the mind, boosts mental health and it's a great form of exercise. For me personally, I like to go once a week in the colder months and twice a week during the Spring and Summer. Any build up of weekly stress can be calmly and organically disposed of at the beach. After satisfying the primal "gatherer" need that is present in all of us, I can always breath calmer after my boots are sandy and my recycled pasta sauce jar is full of sea glass treasure.
1. North & South Queensferry - a rare find hotspot just outside of Edinburgh
If you are looking for rare colours, Queensferry is the place for you. You might find it beneficial to go at night and bring a UV torch - these beaches are great for manganese and uranium sea glass which glows under UV light. It is most likely you will find shards of sea glass with a mid frosting as the glass here, while it can be many centuries old, it doesn't seem to get the perfect frosting like fine sand beaches produce (think Seaham in Northern England and Wemyss Bay in Inverclyde kind of frosting). These two separate beaches, divided by the River Forth, are teeming with sea glass from all centuries including rare reds, yellows, oranges and blues.
Queensferry has been an important port and industrial area for centuries and any waste glass from glass manufacturing factories was dumped directly into the sea. It is mostly this practice, from glass factories all over the coastlines of Scotland, that contributes to the abundance of sea glass found on our shores today. Due to the many sharp rocks and lack of a majority fine sand bottom of the River Forth, the sea glass here will never get that perfect frosted pebble look.
This being said... these two beaches are a great place to find sea marbles, bottle stoppers, sea pottery, sea coal, sea bricks and artefacts from old Edinburgh. One lady, several years ago even found a live octopus in a rockpool here!
I would also recommend visiting the colourful South Queensferry as it has an abundance of beautiful shops, cafes and one of the best restaurants in Scotland in my opinion, Orocco Pier (Samphire Seafood Bar and Grill). Here you can book a table, look over the water and enjoy some of the very very best Scottish seafood. This is not sponsored, we just genuinely love this restaurant!
Our rating for South and North Queensferry beaches and its Scottish sea glass:
Scottish sea glass quality (1 being poor, 10 being excellent): 5/10
Scottish sea glass colour variety (1 being poor, 10 being excellent): 6/10
Beach cleanliness (1 being poor, 10 being excellent): 4/10
Location and ease of finding (1 being poor, 10 being excellent): 10/10
Competition (how many people may be searching at the same time as you, 10 being no competition and 1 being maximum competition): 5/10
Sandy or rocky: Sandy and rocky, mostly rocky, but easy to walk on
2. St Andrews beach (Castle Sands) - Fife
When I first started collecting Scottish sea glass around 10 years ago, St Andrews beach (Castle Sands) was the first time I had ever noticed these beautiful sea gems. To get to this beach, you first locate the castle and then walk down the steep stairs to the beach with the tidal swimming pool. It is best practice to start searching here at mid tide (there is no point in going at low tide for this particular beach). The beach is small, making it an easy and comfortable place to collect if you are just starting out. There is a huge abundance of green and white sea glass at Castle Sands but the sea glass here tends to be newer in appearance (similar to Queensferry) and it is unlikely you will find any nice pebbly pieces here. The sea glass here tends to be mostly shards that are mid way frosted and I would recommend this location if you are interested in crafting for picture frames, home decor etc. It is unlikely you will find any rare Scottish sea glass or a vast array of different colours here. To find the sea glass here, look along the waterline of this beach.
The history: St Andrews once had several breweries and distilleries and you may even find some bottles with the words 'Cupar' or 'St Andrews' on it. If you are interested in sea pottery, this location could be a hot spot for you as there were pottery factories along the Fife coast in the Victorian era.
Our rating for St Andrews (Castle Sands) beach and its Scottish sea glass:
Scottish sea glass quality (1 being poor, 10 being excellent): 4/10
Scottish sea glass colour variety (1 being poor, 10 being excellent): 4/10
Beach cleanliness (1 being poor, 10 being excellent): 6/10
Location and ease of finding (1 being poor, 10 being excellent): 8/10
Competition (how many people may be searching at the same time as you, 10 being no competition and 1 being maximum competition): 4/10
Sandy or rocky: Sandy
3. Crail beach - Fife
I have included Crail because I have personally found it to be a bit of a treasure trove of rare sea glass colours - namely true turquoise, which is very rare. Like St Andrews, the sea glass at Crail will have come from Fife's once industrial trade in glass manufacture. This beach seems to have only micro pieces of sea glass, which is usually excellent jewellery grade quality. To find Scottish sea glass here, you will want to walk along the waterline (this is where the sea touches the shore). I recommend going at mid tide also, for the whole of Fife. The beach can be pretty precarious and it has large boulders, making it less family and dog friendly but if you can get past this, there are mini treasures waiting for you. Crail is also a beautiful colourful village with many creative people, little shops and finding the beach is easy (the photo is of the harbour, not the beach).
Our rating for Crail beach and its Scottish sea glass:
Scottish sea glass quality (1 being poor, 10 being excellent): 7/10
Scottish sea glass colour variety (1 being poor, 10 being excellent): 7/10
Beach cleanliness (1 being poor, 10 being excellent): 8/10
Location and ease of finding (1 being poor, 10 being excellent): 6/10
Competition (how many people may be searching at the same time as you, 10 being no competition and 1 being maximum competition): 10/10
Sandy or rocky: Very rocky (big boulders!)
If you've read this far, well done, here is the best sea glass beach in Scotland in my opinion and its where most of our own Scottish sea glass jewellery comes from!
4. Wemyss Bay - Inverclyde
I've saved the best for last - Wemyss Bay, simply put, is a treasure trove for Scottish sea glass collectors and enthusiasts. It is comparable, if not better, than Seaham, the world famous sea glass beach in the North of England. You can even find rare multis here - who would have known! Marbles, Scottish sea glass in all colours and shades and perfectly frosted, you simply could not wish for better. The beach is easy to find and its sea glass comes from the perfect combinations of - fine sand, tidal direction, it having been a popular holiday spot for decades, ports near by and glass factories having previously existed nearby the beach also.
The beach itself is relatively small and an abundance of Scottish sea glass can be found at either high or low tide. Above is a photo from one afternoon collecting.
Our rating for Wemyss Bay and its Scottish sea glass:
Scottish sea glass quality (1 being poor, 10 being excellent): 10/10
Scottish sea glass colour variety (1 being poor, 10 being excellent): 10/10
Beach cleanliness (1 being poor, 10 being excellent): 8/10
Location and ease of finding (1 being poor, 10 being excellent): 10/10
Competition (how many people may be searching at the same time as you, 10 being no competition and 1 being maximum competition): 5/10
Sandy or rocky: Sandy with small rocks
If you loved this blog entry, please leave a comment and consider booking one of my fabulous Scottish sea glass jewellery making evening classes where you can learn to make your own sterling silver bezel sea glass necklace!
Thank you for reading and happy collecting! - Laura x