277. St Andrews East Sands

As I approach St Andrews from the east, a short rain shower threatens to spoil the occasion but it barely lasts a few minutes and before long it’s back to sunshine all round. This is my first visit to St Andrews and I’m struck, but not surprised, by the dominance of the university – not just with its extensive physical presence in the town, but by the fact that almost everyone I see looks like a student. It’s a bright Saturday at the start of the Easter holidays but in my 7 hour coastal journey so far today I honestly haven’t seen that many people. It’s such a contrast to this visitor hotspot, which is heaving. I park in a residential road and make my way to East Sands, which is the smaller and less attractive of the town’s two beaches. The sand is almost bright red, unlike the white sand of its western neighbour. Some students emerge from the saunas behind the beach and run tentatively across the sand for a very quick dip. Their screams carry across the beach. I can imagine this beach gets absolutely rammed in the summer.