Beach used for Chariots Of Fire named best in UK
IT has been immortalised in an Oscar-winning film and the world’s most famous golf course runs alongside it. Now West Sands in St Andrews has been named the best in the UK.
The two-mile long strip, which was used in the opening scenes of the film Chariots Of Fire, has beaten all other UK beaches in a competition run by finance website Satsuma.
St Andrews West Sands beat the famed Holkham Beach in Norfolk into second place, while the white sandy Luskentyre Bay on Harris came third.
The stunning beach on the Hebridean island was the only other Scottish beach to feature in the website’s UK top 10.
Although it topped the Satsuma survey, St Andrews West Sands was at the centre of controversy three years ago when a multi-million pound visitor centre was rejected amid fears the sight of it would irritate golfers at the Old Course.
The trust behind the plans for the visitor centre, which was to look like dunes, said councillors had turned down the opportunity to replace “third-world facilities” for the public in favour of the “golfing elite”.
A building described as “iconic” and “radical” would have housed a visitor centre, new cafe and toilets on the West Sands in St Andrews.
A new lifeguard station, recreational area and boardwalk were also to be created.
Fife Coast and Countryside Trust was denied planning consent for its ambitious development, resulting in the loss of cash promised from several sources, including £1.3 million from the Coastal Communities Fund in the last year such funds were available.
Luskentyre and other neighbouring beaches at Seilebost and Scarista on the west coast of the Isle of Harris regularly feature in polls as among the most stunning in Europe.
They are famed not only for their miles of sand but also clear waters and abundant wildlife.
It is estimated about three million people live on the coast of the UK.
Satsuma created the Great British beach finder especially to help people compare seaside sites, find tide times, typical temperatures and top attractions.
Website staff surveyed just over 2200 adults from all corners of the UK to find out which beach was their favourite.
Other UK beaches that feature in Satsuma’s list are Rhossili Bay in Wales and Cornwall’s Fistral Beach.