Hackley Bay (Forvie Sands)

This wide sandy crescent of golden sand, flanked by high cliffs, could well be the prettiest bay on the Aberdeenshire coast. To the rear of the beach are sand dunes and more gently sloping cliffs.

Set within the Forvie National Nature Reserve, Hackley Bay is very much unspoilt and qualifies as both a Special Area of Conservation and a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

The reserve covers nearly a thousand hectares and includes sand dunes and dune heathland. It is home to wonderful variety of wildlife, in particular seabirds. At certain times of year parts of the reserve are out of bounds due to birds breeding.

There is no direct access to the beach from the road and the best place to park is in one of the two nature reserve car park. From here it’s a 15-20 minute walk to Hackley Bay beach, but this a hikers paradise and part of the pleasure of getting to this beautiful, wild spot.