The best places to find sublime seafood on your Scottish seaside holiday

Skye

Skye, one of the largest of Scotland’s islands, is a mesmerising 50-mile-long checkerboard of towering mountains, glistening lochs, rugged moors and imposing cliffs, with understandably sublime seafood being lifted from the surrounding waters. Pre-order and collect fresh seafood in Staffin – lobsters, langoustines, brown crabs and scallops. Go for dinner at Loch Bay Restaurant on the Waternish Peninsula, this snug, intimate and informal Michelin-star restaurant is set in an old crofter’s cottage with lovely views to distant hills. The chef-patron adds a French flourish to Scottish menus packed with seafood from the surrounding ocean. Walkers too are spoilt for choice: scramble up the Cuillin, the UK’s most challenging mountain; wander through the weird and wonderful rock formations of the Quiraing; stroll along Talisker Bay, one of the few sandy beaches on Skye – take a bracing dip, if you dare!

See all of our places to stay in Skye >

Loch Fyne

If you’re anywhere near Loch Fyne, a  stunning 40-mile long, west-coast sea loch, you can’t miss a visit to the legendary Loch Fyne Oyster Bar and Restaurant. It has a glorious setting, hovering at the point where the majestic mountains meet the calm sea waters. Tuck into freshly shucked oysters, hand-dived scallops, smoked haddock chowder, or go the whole hog and order the seafood platter laden with langoustine, oysters, mussels, scallops, lobster and crab. Loch Fyne Oysters have been farming oysters here since the 1970s and are considered early pioneers of the Scottish food produce story. Today they supply award-winning and Michelin starred restaurants as well as prestigious retailers all over the globe.

Stay near Loch Fyne at The Stable Cottage >

Oban

Often called Scotland’s seafood capital, Oban is the main gateway to the Hebridean islands. It’s a pretty town spilling down to a bustling waterfront with a delightful bay and sweeping views to Kerrera and Mull – magical as the sun sets. There are any number of superb seafood restaurants but Ee-Usk is a special one, with over 25 years in the business, they know the names of the fishermen and women who drop off fresh catches each morning. Feast on lobster and crab caught from the rocky coast of Luing, scallops from Mull and langoustine, mussels, and oysters from the cold clear waters of Loch Linnhe. Gaze out of floor-to-ceiling windows and you may glimpse dolphins, seals and otters swimming around the North Pier. If you’re looking for something more simple you can’t go wrong with the Oban Seafood Hut on the pier.

See all of our places to stay near Oban >

North Berwick

Half an hour east of Edinburgh by train, North Berwick is a lively place. Wander its charming narrow streets, enjoy striking views out to the Firth of Forth and the Bass Rock (the world’s largest northern gannet colony) and bring your bucket-and-spade for afternoons on sandy beaches. The place is packed with classic fish and chip shops, ice cream parlours, traditional tearooms, trendy coffee shops and a multitude of independent shops and eateries, and we especially adore The Lobster Shack. It’s run with an eco-friendly ethos from local-as-can-be fish catches to biodegradable cutlery and packaging. Try creamy seafood chowder, grilled North Berwick lobster or a dressed crab washed down with Prosecco. Check out the Bass Rock gannets via the live webcams at the Seabird Centre or take a boat trip from the harbour to get closer to these magnificent seabirds.

See all of our places to stay in North Berwick >

Cullen

At the far eastern end of the smooth sands and interesting rock formations of remote Cullen Bay lies this handsome seaside village. Colourful fishermen’s cottages and narrow winding streets are framed by a series of iconic viaducts, built in 1886 for the Scottish Railways, now part of the Moray Coastal Path. The town is famous for its regional dish, cullen skink (a creamy smoked haddock, potato and onion soup) that has found its way onto menus across the globe. Head to any local restaurant – we like Rockpool cafe on the square – for a warming bowl before taking a stomp along the stunning coastal path, heading towards sandy Sunnyside Beach then on to the ruins of Findlater Castle perched high above the glittering sea. The waters around here are crystalline but cold, so take a deep breath and dive in. 

Stay near Cullen at Callie Bothy >

Arbroath

The fishing port of Arbroath, found on a scenic section of the east coastline, is home to the Arbroath Smokie, a regional Scottish delicacy that consists of pairs of salted haddock tied by their tails and hot-smoked in barrels of burning wood chips. The town is a down-to-earth kind of place, all low-slung stone cottages and red-sandstone cliffs with moors behind and not a whiff of gentrification. Woodsmoke drifts up from the harbour, so follow your nose down to the attractive marina to buy a fresh smokie, still warm from the kiln, and eat it immediately perched on the sea wall. The abbey ruins are a must-visit and there’s a visitor centre with a permanent exhibition detailing its long and fascinating history.