Three beaches in Scotland have been named among the best in the world by a luxury travel magazine.
Condé Nast Traveller sought out spaces that people may have to venture a little further for to come up with its list of the 34 best beaches in the world.
The list of "incredibly beautiful and very often crowd-free" beaches includes "the most exquisite beaches in Europe to far-flung stretches in Asia, Africa and more".
Topping the list is Palm Cove Beach near Cairns in Australia, followed by Honopu Beach on the island of Kauai in the Hawaiian archipelago in second position.
READ MORE: Scots beach makes top 10 in global list of 'most exotic to visit once in your life’
Following them - in being named the third best beach in the world - is The Sands of Breckon, a white sand beach in Yell, the second largest island in Shetland.
Framed by the cliff scenery of north Yell, the beach holds a Seaside Award from Keep Scotland Beautiful.
Commenting on its third place position on its list, Condé Nast Traveller notes: "Wedged between two vivid emerald slabs of green pasture, Brekon is somewhat sheltered from the south-westerly winds that roll through these lands. That said, you’ll want to manifest pretty balmy temperatures to brave the often icy waters.
"It’s a beautiful spot with clear waters and perfectly powdery sands, but all is not as it seems on a clear summer’s day. Many boats have met their end along these shores – learn all about the treacherous sea at the local museum in Burravoe, which details harrowing accounts and displays fascinating artefacts that have washed up over the years."
The Sands of Breckon is only one of two beaches in Europe to be named among the top 10 best beaches in the world, alongside Dune du Pilat in France.
SANDS OF BRECKON, YELL
— steven milton (@stevenmilton38) January 22, 2015
This white sand beach in the North of Yell pic.twitter.com/KmhsH06hF9
The other beaches to feature in the top 10 are Wategos Beach, Noosa Beach and Mona Vale Beach in Australia, Ora Beach in Indonesia, Awaroa in New Zealand and Die Plaat in Walker Bay Nature Reserve, South Africa.
Beyond the top 10, two other Scottish beaches make Condé Nast Traveller's list of the 34 best beaches in the world in Uig Sands on the Isle of Lewis and Luskentyre, one of the largest and most spectacular beaches on Harris, in 30th and 34th position respectively.
About Uig Sands, Condé Nast Traveller notes: "A busy day at Uig is when two people show up at once. Lying some 20 miles west of Stornoway on Lewis’s surf-battered Atlantic coast, this is a big, dramatic beach watched over by tussocky dunes and grizzled mountains.
"The beach itself is famous for being the place where a set of Viking chess pieces – dating back to the 12th century and made from the husks of walrus teeth – were unearthed, but it has a lot more going for it than just its history.
READ MORE: 'What I've learned after visiting 100 of Scotland's greatest beaches'
The surrounding machair flower meadows erupt into bloom in June, and its enormous uninterrupted stretches of sand are a playground for kite-buggy enthusiasts. Check into the 19th-century country house Lews Castle."
While, in respect of Luskentyre, Condé Nast Traveller adds: "At the end of a winding road on the wind-battered west coast of the Isle of Harris, you’ll find something to make your eyes pop. Luskentyre Beach is a paint splash of brilliant white, surrounded by almost impossibly azure water.
"On a sunny day, it’s so unerringly blue you may find it hard to believe you are at a beach in Scotland at all. But regardless of its paradoxically tropical feel, it’s at its most beautiful when eel-coloured storm clouds roll in and seas turn flinty, turning this dramatic landscape an eerie monochrome."
In December, another Scottish beach made a list of the top 10 'most spectacular and exotic beaches to visit once in your life' published by Argentina-based Spanish-language news outlet Infobae, which has over six millions followers on Facebook.
Thurso Beach, which stretches for about 500 meters alongside Thurso, was named 10th in the list.
To see the full Condé Nast Traveller list, visit https://www.cntraveller.com/gallery/best-beaches-in-the-world
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