An hour south of Edinburgh, the Berwickshire coast hides a half-mile sweep of sand that most holidaymakers drive straight past. Pease Bay sits beneath rust-coloured Old Red Sandstone cliffs, and on a clear day the North Sea water takes on a cool blue tone that looks almost out of place on this stretch of coastline.

What sets it apart is how empty it feels. Visitors repeatedly mention the lack of crowds — rare for a beach this accessible, reachable in about an hour's drive from Edinburgh or just under two hours from Newcastle upon Tyne. The sand is clean, the water clear, and the main break in the scenery is Pease Bay Holiday Park right behind the beach. If you're after total wilderness, rows of caravans may not be your thing, but the park does bring practical perks: parking, toilets, beachside rentals and, in summer, an ice cream hut.

Anglers have long known about this spot. Coast Radar ranked it the second-best coastal fishing mark in the UK, thanks to the mix of rock and sand on the seabed. Flounder are the main catch, best hooked on an incoming tide as the rising water floods the shallow sand, though coalfish, whiting, pollack and codling also show up. Better still, most recreational shore fishing in Scotland needs no licence or permit — just turn up with a rod.

Surfers get a look in too. The bay's open exposure to North Sea swells makes it a decent bet for learners, and two well-rated surf schools are nearby: St Vedas Surf Shop & School, about 20 minutes south near the clifftop village of St Abbs, and Coast to Coast Surf School, 20 minutes north. Both have near-perfect Google ratings, so first-timers can book lessons and board hire without much planning.

If you'd rather walk than wade, the Cockburnspath and Pease Circular is a 5.5-mile loop from the village of Cockburnspath that passes tower ruins and a nature reserve before reaching the bay. And when hunger hits, the fishing town of Eyemouth is about 25 minutes south and does a proper line in fresh seafood.

Pease Bay works for a specific kind of traveller: anyone wanting a low-effort Scottish coastal day trip or overnight stay without tour buses or queues. It's easy to pair with a city break in Edinburgh, and the surrounding Berwickshire shoreline — St Abbs, Eyemouth, Coldingham — gives you enough to fill a long weekend if one beach isn't enough.