The recent weather has been calling for a day trip or staycation and with all areas across Scotland entering Level 2 or lower this weekend could be a perfect time.

If you are looking for a beach to revel in the splendid sunshine, a new study may point you in the right direction.

Save on Energy has pinpointed the cleanest and dirtiest beaches across Scotland and the UK. 

By testing the water at 546 beaches across Scotland, England and Wales for bacteria such as E. coli (EC) and Intestinal Enterococci (IE), the areas were scored and ranked. 

Rankings were given from 0 for the dirtiest to a score of 100 as the cleanest.

Scotland's cleanest beach was Achmelvich in the northwest of the country, which scored 87.1 out of 100 for the cleanliness of its water. 

Private beach Seacliff in East Lothian was a close second with an overall score of  85.7. 

Another Highlands beach was third, while two beaches from Elie also featured among Scotland's top five. 

Clydebank Post: Camusdarach beach , Morar, Arisaig, Highlands and Islands, Scotland.
Silver Sands of Morar

However, when compared to the rest of the UK not one of the tested beaches were in the top ten - in fact Achmelvich only ranked 59th in the UK ranking. 

Scotland did take a number of places on the UK's beaches with the dirtiest water list. 

With a score of 0.1 out of 100, Kinghorn (Harbour Beach) in Fife was dubbed the beach with the dirtiest water not just in the country but in the UK. 

It was shortly followed by Heads of Ayr and Ayr South Beach, which had respective total scores of zero and one.

With another total score of one, Fisherrow Sands near Edinburgh also had some of the dirtiest water.