Edinburgh beach becomes Scotland's newest bathing water
It comes as the 'Scottish bathing water season' begins
Last updated 31st May 2023
Edinburgh's Wardie Bay Beachwatch have led a successful campaign to make the Granton beach Scotland’s newest bathing water.
Becoming the 89th official Scottish bathing water, this decision it's hoped it'll mean a boost for the shore along the south of the Forth.
The campaign spearheaded by Wardie Bay Beachwatch and The Wild One proved to the Scottish Government that there is a large community of people who support the classification and use the waters during the summer.
This means that now every year the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) will take samples of the water and be analysed in labs before getting an official classification for 2024.
Speaking on the successful campaign, Karen Bates from Wardie Bay Beachwatch said: “It has taken much time and effort to achieve this result for the #wardiebay4bathingwater campaign. We can finally be delighted that Wardie Bay is to be a protected bathing water.
“We are grateful to Cabinet Secretary Mairi McAllan for her progressive decision and for support from Council members who surmounted the obstacles to designation at this complex site.”
The new designation of the beach comes after McAllan, Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Just Transition announced the new status alongside Fisherrow Sands in East Lothian.
McAllan said: “We now have the highest number of designated Bathing Water sites ever, with 98% passing bathing water quality standards and more rated as ‘excellent’ than ever before.
“However, we are not complacent. We continue to work closely with SEPA and Scottish Water to ensure that as many people as possible are able to enjoy them throughout this summer and beyond.”