St Andrews West Sands

St Andrews West Sands Beach is famous for the opening scenes of the film Chariots of Fire. The beach extends for almost two miles of uninterrupted sand, backed with dunes and the world-renowned golf courses. It is very popular for walking and running as well as for swimming. There is plenty of parking and the town centre is a 15 minute walk away. The beach is zoned to keep sand yachts and families apart.

Safe to swim?

Before considering open water swimming in this location, please watch this video and make an informed choice.

Not only are West Sands’ dunes internationally important, they are part of the Firth of Tay and Eden Estuary Special Area for Conservation. They also provide a natural defence against the sea and are home to many important plants and animals.

A dune stabilisation programme is in place and we ask visitors to use the designated access points to reach the beach. At times you will be aware of work going on to manage the dunes, including filling in craters and planting marram.

St Andrews West Sands is the winner of a Keep Scotland Beautiful 2025 Scotland’s Beach Award. In fact it is celebrating 33 years of awards. For safety, RNLI lifeguards patrol it during the summer months.

The West Sands toilets (opening times) were recognised in the national Loo of the Year Awards 2023. Our ‘Fringe of Gold’ Beaches leaflet can be downloaded from the Resources section of our website.

Beach wheelchairs can be hired from the Hamish Foundation. Please be aware of the Drone Code, should you be considering flying a drone on any of our beaches, but especially at West Sands because of its proximity to Leuchars Station, a British Army installation.