The West Sands and Craigtoun – a Beach, a Park and the Dog
A day.
The route
This is a whole day near St Andrews for a family with a dog, and the dog is welcome nearly everywhere.
It starts with a run on the West Sands, almost two miles of open beach backed by dunes. Then it carries on at Craigtoun Country Park, the old Mount Melville estate, with a big adventure playground, a zip wire, trampolines and a café that lets the dog in too.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The day
St Andrews
A blowy morning on the sand with room for the dog to stretch its legs. Then the rest of the day is in a country park made for children, with lunch on the café deck and the old estate gardens to finish.
About five and a half hours
St Andrews West Sands
An attraction
The West Sands runs for almost two miles north from the edge of St Andrews, with dunes and the golf links behind it. There's plenty of parking in the car parks along West Sands Road, just behind the dunes; check the signs there for any charge. Reach the sand by the marked paths through the dunes, which are protected and being rebuilt in places. From May to September dogs are kept off the stretch nearest the town, so follow the signs at the beach, and keep the dog on a lead on the road. Sand yachts keep to a zone of their own, and the RNLI lifeguards patrol only in the summer months, so keep children and the dog close at the water's edge. The West Sands toilets are by the beach. An hour or so on the sand is plenty before lunch.
20 min by car
Craigtoun Country Park
An attraction
It's about 20 minutes' drive, 4.6 miles, to Craigtoun Country Park. Follow the signs for Craigtoun off the B939 onto Brownrigg Road and turn in to the big car park, which is free, with donation boxes at the main gate. The park never shuts, and its free play is out all year. There's a large adventure playground with an all-inclusive play area beside it, trampolines set into a sand pit and the Fairy Glen woods beside the café. On the quieter north side are a trim trail and a 30ft zip wire. Dogs are welcome all over the park, on a short lead around the play area. Lunch is at the Craigtoun Café in the middle of the park, open every day from 10am to 4pm, with hot and cold food, cakes, traybakes and ice cream. It has two decks, one of them covered, and well-behaved dogs are welcome. The paid rides include the Puffin' Billy tractor, the Rio Grande miniature railway, the boating lake, crazy golf and pedal cars for the under-7s. They run from Easter to October at weekends and every day in the school holidays, and in 2026 every day from 10 to 25 October, 11am to 3pm. Tickets are £2.50 a ride, or £8.50 for a day band in September and October, bought on the day at the Ticket Office by card or cash; under-3s go free. Finish with a wander through the old estate gardens: the Italian Garden, the cypress avenue and the Dutch Village standing in its lake. A level tarmac path runs from the car park to the café, the Ticket Office and the toilets, and there's a Changing Places toilet, its key from the Ticket Office or on 01334 472013.
If it rains
Almost all of this day is out of doors. On a wet day keep the beach short, and at Craigtoun take shelter on the café's covered deck; the playground, trampolines and zip wire are best left for a drier spell.
Make it a weekend
More days out in St Andrews.
Photograph by craigtouncountrypark