Scotland’s North Sea Gem
- Rating: Good Beach
- Terrain: Easy
- Level: Beginner – Intermediate
- Dog friendly: Yes
- Location: Cullen, Moray, Scotland
- Sat Nav: AB56 4RX (Cullen Beach car park)
- Common colours: White, green, brown
- Rare colours: Turquoise, Cobalt Blue, Black, Lavender
Best For
- Harbour hunting
- Rock pool exploring
- Sea stack searching
- Family beachcombing
- Hidden cave exploration
- North Sea sea glass hunting
- Low-tide adventures
- Frosted glass finds
Why Cullen Bay deserves to be on your list
Cullen is one of those places that makes you wonder why you haven’t been sooner. A Royal Burgh since the 12th century, a crescent-shaped bay backed by dramatic Victorian viaducts, a famous smoked haddock soup that you’ll find in every cafe in the village and a beach that quietly delivers some of the best sea glass on Scotland’s north coast.
Cullen Bay is famed among sea glass hobbyists for its scenic charm and steady stream of finds. The crescent-shaped bay has unique currents and a long history of glass-bottle disposal, which together leave plenty of sea glass glinting on the pebbles. The North Sea does the hard work here; the currents sweep in glass from a wide arc of coastline and deposit it on Cullen’s pebbly eastern end, where the beach meets the rocks near the harbour.
Visitors note that the area near the car park, where the beach is rockier, is excellent for finding sea glass.
What makes Cullen special beyond the glass itself is the setting. The Victorian railway viaducts that run right through the village are an extraordinary backdrop built by the Great North of Scotland Railway in 1886 to connect Aberdeen and Elgin; they frame the bay in a way that makes every photograph look like it was staged. Add the Three Kings rock stack at the eastern end of the beach, the ruins of Findlater Castle, a short walk along the coast, and the possibility of bottlenose dolphins offshore, and you have a day out that goes well beyond sea glass. Cullen earns its place on the list.
What you’ll find here
Colours commonly found: White, green, brown, amber
Occasional finds: Blue, Aqua, Amber
Rare finds: Turquoise, Cobalt Blue, Black, Lavender
Bonus: Scottish sea sapphires and cobalt-blue glass, often from medicine or perfume bottles of the last century. Fossil fragments also appear in the sandstone rocks at the eastern end, particularly at low tide around the harbour area. Worth keeping an eye out for both.
When to go
The North Sea currents sweep in glass from afar, depositing it on Cullen’s pebbly eastern end of the beach. Low tide is your best opportunity for the rocky sections near the harbour to open up and reveal the shingle pockets where glass accumulates. Give yourself a good hour either side of low water.
Autumn and winter are the prime seasons. The North Sea pushes up some serious swells on this exposed coast, and a good storm turns the beach over entirely glass that hasn’t been visible for months suddenly appears. The beach is also quieter in winter, which matters here. Cullen is a popular summer destination, and a busy beach is a picked-over beach. A grey November morning with a fresh north-easterly and nobody else in sight is exactly what you’re looking for.
Spring tides around new and full moon give you the most foreshore to work. The eastern end near the harbour and the Three Kings is consistently the most productive area -the rocks there trap glass in crevices and channels that other hunters often overlook.
Today’s tide times & Sea Glass Score
Cullen Bay sits on the Moray Firth, facing north into the North Sea, with a tidal range of around 3.5 to 4 metres on a spring tide, enough to expose a useful stretch of rocky foreshore and shingle around the harbour end of the beach.
The widget below uses Buckie tide data, the nearest UKHO station five miles to the west, to show today’s Sea Glass Score, tide curve and best hunting window. Aim for the hour either side of low water and concentrate your search on the eastern end near the harbour, where the rocks trap glass in the channels.
Where to look on the beach
Cullen Beach is a generous crescent of mainly golden sand stretching west from the harbour, but for sea glass hunters, the eastern end is where the work happens.
The eastern end near the harbour is the prime area. The area near the car park, where the beach is rockier, is excellent for finding sea glass. The shingle patches between the rock outcroppings collect glass pushed in by the North Sea. Work these carefully at low tide, checking every crevice and channel. The Three Kings rock stack marks the far eastern end, and the ground around its base is worth investigating closely.
The harbour itself is worth a look when the tide is out. The harbour becomes a small beach, which is perfect for kids to play on and for hunters to check quietly. Glass from the fishing industry’s long history here accumulates in the sheltered harbour area.
The rock pools along the northern side of the bay contain hidden caves to explore worth checking inside cave entrances and around the bases of the sea stacks, where glass can wedge itself out of sight.
Key Tip:
Start at the eastern end of the bay and focus on the shingle pockets trapped between rock outcrops. At Cullen, the best glass rarely sits out in the open, it hides in crevices, harbour corners and around the bases of the sea stacks where wave energy naturally slows and deposits material.
The beach has an Easy terrain rating. The main stretch is flat and accessible, and the eastern rocky section requires only basic care, not any real scrambling. Good footwear is sensible, but you don’t need to be a mountain goat to hunt here.
Difficulty Level – Intermediate
- The best hunting areas are concentrated around rocks and shingle
- Low tide opens up additional ground around the harbour and rock pools
- Careful footing is needed on slippery rocks and ledges
- Glass is often hidden within crevices and channels
- Exploring cave entrances requires awareness of tide conditions
Hunting Style – The Rock Pool Explorer
Cullen rewards hunters who search slowly and thoroughly. Work the shingle pockets around the harbour first, then explore the rocky eastern shoreline, checking every channel, crevice and rock pool edge. The best finds are often tucked away in places that casual visitors walk straight past.
Beach Personality
Cullen combines postcard-worthy scenery with a shoreline full of hidden corners. The historic harbour, dramatic Three Kings rock stack and maze of rock pools give the beach a sense of adventure that goes beyond a simple seaside walk. While most visitors are drawn to the sweeping sands, sea glass hunters quickly discover that the real treasures lie amongst the rocks where the North Sea quietly sorts and deposits its finds.
Dog friendly?
Dogs are allowed on Cullen Beach all year round. No seasonal restrictions in place. The beach is wide and open with plenty of room to run, and the rock pool areas at low tide are exactly the kind of terrain a curious terrier was made for.
Seals are commonly spotted on the rocks near the harbour, while dolphins and porpoises can often be seen from the clifftops. Keep dogs on a lead near the harbour rocks. If seals are present, they tend to appear without much warning, and a dog charging towards a seal on the rocks is nobody’s idea of a good outing.
The village is well set up for a post-hunt stop, with several cafes, the Seafield Arms Hotel, and a good fish and chip shop. Check the Yappy Places listing for Cullen for the most current dog-friendly options.
Practical information
Parking: Free parking at Cullen Beach car park (AB56 4RX) – a large car park right behind the eastern end of the beach with spaces consistently available outside peak summer. Clean toilets and a food kiosk near the car park.
Toilets: Clean toilet facilities at the car park.
Food and drink: Cullen punches well above its weight for a small village. The town is famous for Cullen Skink a creamy smoked haddock soup that originated here and is served at the Rockpool Cafe, the Royal Oak Hotel, the Seafield Arms and most other eating places. The Rockpool Cafe next to the ice cream shop is a popular post-hunt stop. There is also a good ice cream shop for warmer days.
Getting there without a car: Cullen is served by Stagecoach Service 35 from Aberdeen, on double-decker buses with elevated views from the top deck. The journey from Aberdeen to Cullen takes around 2 hours and 40 minutes. Buses also connect to Elgin and other Moray coast villages.
Accessibility: The main beach car park and the western sandy stretch are flat and accessible. The eastern rocky section near the harbour requires more care underfoot. Overall, one of the more accessible sea glass beaches on the Scottish north coast.
What to bring
- Sturdy shoes or wellies – the eastern rocky section has uneven footing and can be slippery at low tide
- A small container or zip-lock bag for your finds
- A hand rake or trowel for working shingle pockets between the rocks
- Windproof layers -the Moray Firth coast faces north into the North Sea and catches a cold wind even in summer
- Binoculars – bottlenose dolphins are regularly spotted offshore, and seals are common near the harbour
- A flask and an appetite for Cullen Skink afterwards
The history behind the glass
Cullen was founded as a Royal Burgh by William the Lion sometime towards the end of the 12th century – it has been a settlement on this coast for nearly a thousand years. The connection to Robert the Bruce runs deep: his queen, Elizabeth de Burgh, died at Cullen Castle in 1327, and her remains were buried in the Auld Kirk, which still stands in the village today.
The sea glass, though, comes from a more recent chapter. The fishing industry developed quickly in the 1880s, and the harbour was busy with large fishing boats, which were later replaced by steam drifters at the start of the 20th century. Cullen was one of dozens of working harbours on the Moray Firth coast during the height of the Scottish herring industry a period of intense activity that put enormous quantities of glass into the North Sea. Bottles, jars, lantern glass, and fishing equipment all of it discarded overboard or washed in from shore.
The Moray Coast Railway served the towns and villages along the Moray Firth from 1886, providing useful transport links for the farming, fishing and whisky industries, before the line closed in 1968. The whisky connection matters. The Speyside distilleries inland from Cullen produced, and still produce, enormous quantities of glass, and bottles from that industry have been finding their way into the Moray Firth for well over a century.
The amber glass you find on this beach may well have started life holding something considerably more expensive than seawater.
The viaducts are the last standing monument to the railway era, eight Victorian arches marching straight through the village, now part of the Moray Coastal Path and the best viewpoint over the bay you’ll find anywhere along this stretch of coast.
From beach to jewellery
A cobalt blue from Cullen, a piece of amber from the whisky coast, a rare red from the North Sea at Mermaid Tears, every piece of jewellery begins exactly where you’re standing. Hand-hunted from UK beaches and handmade into something worth keeping. Browse the Mermaid Tears collection →
Disclaimer: Tide times, dog restrictions, parking charges and beach conditions change regularly. Always verify before visiting. The rocky sections around Cullen Harbour can be slippery at low tide. Appropriate footwear is essential. Beach byelaws are updated annually. Check with Moray Council for the most current rules.
Last updated: May 2026
Frequently asked questions
Is Cullen Bay good for sea glass hunting? Yes – it’s one of the most consistently rewarding beaches on Scotland’s north coast. The crescent shape of the bay concentrates glass at the eastern rocky end near the harbour, and the North Sea currents bring in material from a wide stretch of coastline. Rated Good – worth a dedicated trip, and even better combined with the coastal walk to Portknockie or Findlater Castle.
Where exactly should I look for sea glass at Cullen? The eastern end of the beach near the harbour car park is the most productive area. Work the shingle patches between the rock outcroppings at low tide, check every crevice and channel carefully, and look around the base of the Three Kings rock stack. The harbour itself at low tide is also worth a quiet check.
What colours of sea glass can I find at Cullen Bay? White, green, brown and amber are the most common. Cobalt blue, known by Scottish hunters as Scottish sea sapphires, turns up occasionally. Reds, yellows and oranges are rare but have been found here. The amber glass has a particularly strong history on this coast, given the inland whisky industry.
Is Cullen Beach dog-friendly? Yes, dogs are welcome year-round with no seasonal restrictions. The beach is open and spacious with plenty of room to run. Keep dogs on a lead near the harbour rocks where seals are often present.
What else is there to do at Cullen? Plenty. The walk to Bow Fiddle Rock at Portknockie is one of the most dramatic short coastal walks in Scotland. The ruins of Findlater Castle are a two-hour return walk along the cliff path east of the harbour. The Victorian viaducts in the village are worth exploring. And Cullen Skink in a warm cafe after a cold morning on the beach is one of life’s simpler but more satisfying pleasures.
How do I get to Cullen from Aberdeen? By bus, take Stagecoach Service 35, journey time around 2 hours 40 minutes. By car, take the A90 north from Aberdeen, then the A98 coast road west, approximately an hour’s drive. Use postcode AB56 4RX for the beach car park.
