St. Andrews Bay Beach

The beach at St Andrews Bay stretches for miles along the Fife coast, and it's genuinely one of those places that rewards getting up early. Golden sand, proper dramatic skies, and on a clear day you can see across to Edinburgh. The bay itself is wide enough that even in summer it never feels rammed.

Walkers absolutely love it here. The beach connects to clifftop paths that run towards Crail and beyond, and you can spend half a day just pottering along the sand and following the coastal trail. The water's cold as you'd expect, but there are stretches where the sand shelves gently enough for wading. Families with younger kids will find the eastern end near the town quieter and easier to manage than the western reaches.

There's no entrance fee - it's just a proper public beach. Park near the town centre and you're onto the sand in five minutes. Time-wise, an hour minimum if you just fancy a walk and a breath of fresh air, but three to four hours if you're planning to explore the fuller coastline.

It works brilliantly as part of a week staying at Sauchope Links Holiday Lodge & Caravan Park, just under six miles away. That location gives you easy access to St Andrews itself - the town, the shops, the restaurants - while keeping you based somewhere quieter. The beach itself is the main draw though. Come when the light's good, late afternoon especially, and you'll see why locals keep coming back.