My coast: Billy Boyd

'We went to the coast a lot when I was young - places like Ayr, Troon and Largs. I used to love doing all the traditional things, like crazy golf and playing on the swings. I grew up in inner-city Glasgow, but it was great to be able to lift your head from looking at the golf ball and see the sea. Just being next to the sea made me happy. My two-year-old son, Jack, is obsessed with rockpools - he can stare at one for an hour. But you can see why - rockpools are so intriguing; they're like mini-universes. It's a lesson for modern life: take the time to look and you get more out of things.

'New Zealand's South Island is very similar to  Scotland. They say that's why so many Scots settled there. I felt I recognised the coastline when I saw it (during filming for 'Lord of the Rings'). Dunedin really reminded me of the wild beaches around Thurso and the wide expanses around Inverness. Any surfer will tell you it's a gold-star surfing day if you're out with dolphins. It's a little bit of magic, right there. It's amazing to see a wild animal so in charge of its element. You feel a real buzz of energy if you're in with them.

'The seals are the funniest, though. You see this little face pop up and look at you. Then it disappears and you know he's swum underneath to check you out. I once went surfing off an Aberdeen beach and there was just me and this one seal. He must have stayed for nearly two hours, and when I started to paddle to the beach,he came up close. It was like he was trying to stop me from getting out because he was having fun.

'I love introducing Scottish beaches to friends, especially buddies who think there's no decent surf there. I take them to Machrihanish beach (on the Mull of Kintyre). The drive up is beautiful, then you're greeted by this fantastic beach with mellow waves.

'On the way home, we stopped at Loch Fyne for oysters. I once rented a car because mine had broken down and I'd heard that the waves were really good at Pease Bay in the Borders. I tied the car key to my leg rope, as I always do, before heading into the sea. When I got back to the car, I realised it was one of these electronic keys... and I'd destroyed it. The alarm didn't stop for quite a while.

'There's something about the sea that makes you feel good. After a day at the beach, you feel chilled out. Someone told me it's to do with the waves producing negative ions - I don't know if that's true.

'This summer, I played at the Wicker Man festival in Kirkcudbright with my band Beecake. I was looking forward to setting fire to a man. Not a real man, obviously; a wicker man.'

To help plan your coastal break in Scotland, see visitscotland.com/autumn.

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