Overview

West Sands is one of Scotland's most iconic beaches, made famous by the film "Chariots of Fire". This immense stretch of sand of nearly 2 km, facing east/north-east, offers excellent conditions for kitesurfing in St Andrews Bay. The body of water is relatively flat with limited fetch, ideal for progression. The beach is wide at low tide, allowing easy kite launching and landing.

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Spot forecast for St. Andrews West Sands

Sunrise 07:53 · Sunset 17:58

Open-Meteo

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< 7 kn7–12 kn13–20 kn21–30 kn31–40 kn41+ kn Gusts Your minimum: 7 kn

Forecasts provided by Open-Meteo

Swell and waves

Swell and tides over 8 days. Premium members see the swell and tides over 8 days. Without a subscription: 5 days.

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Wave height: < 0.5 m 0.5–1 m 1–2 m 2–3 m ≥ 3 m

Swell data by Open-Meteo Marine

Tides

Heights above lowest astronomical tide, in the spot's local time. Computed 4.2 km from the spot.

Tuesday 20 October Low tide 04:12 · 2 m High tide 10:39 · 3.7 m Low tide 16:33 · 2.3 m High tide 22:54 · 4 m
Wednesday 21 October Low tide 05:16 · 1.8 m High tide 11:43 · 3.9 m Low tide 17:35 · 2.1 m High tide 23:51 · 4.2 m
Thursday 22 October Low tide 06:08 · 1.5 m High tide 12:32 · 4.2 m Low tide 18:25 · 1.8 m
Friday 23 October High tide 00:37 · 4.5 m Low tide 06:51 · 1.2 m High tide 13:13 · 4.5 m Low tide 19:08 · 1.5 m
Saturday 24 October High tide 01:17 · 4.7 m Low tide 07:30 · 0.9 m High tide 13:49 · 4.8 m Low tide 19:47 · 1.3 m

St. Andrews West Sands: when to go?

Rideable days and hours computed for a minimum wind of 7 knots · log in to set your own (foil, twin-tip…)

Season · peak

267h

in May · 24 rideable days

The season runs from March to May, peaking in May: 20 rideable days a month and 267 hours of usable wind, at 12 °C. The low point is January, at 4.5 days.

Rideable days per month

Wind strength when it is rideable

7-12 knots · 77%13-20 knots · 21%21-30 knots · 2%

When the spot works, wind sits mostly between 7 and 12 knots — 77% of rideable hours. Big-kite territory. The coldest month is January, at 6 °C. The wettest month is December, with 90 mm.

Monthly averages: St. Andrews West Sands

Monthly averages — St. Andrews West Sands — averaged over 2 years of records — Weather data by Open-Meteo.com — How it is calculated
Month	Rideable days	Usable wind	Temperature	Rain
January	4.5	32 h	6 °C	54 mm
February	11.0	83 h	8 °C	42 mm
March	18.0	162 h	9 °C	80 mm
April	19.0	204 h	11 °C	70 mm
May	24.0	267 h	15 °C	65 mm
June	10.0	79 h	17 °C	45 mm
July	12.5	116 h	18 °C	54 mm
August	9.5	71 h	19 °C	49 mm
September	16.0	132 h	15 °C	48 mm
October	9.0	64 h	13 °C	64 mm
November	5.5	44 h	9 °C	79 mm
December	6.5	40 h	8 °C	90 mm

Photo gallery of St. Andrews West Sands

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Technical details of St. Andrews West Sands spot

The spot works with winds from N, NNE, NE, ENE, E, NNW.

Depending on conditions: ESE, SE, NW.

RideableDepending on conditions Not rideable

Spot opening date · Required level

Spot opening date: Open all year round
Required level: Intermediate

Parking

Large free car park at the end of the road leading to West Sands, accessible from St Andrews town centre. The car park can be very busy in summer and on sunny weekends. Direct beach access from the car park.

Hazards

Tidal currents at the entrance to the Eden Estuary north of the beach — avoid this area. Shifting sandbanks at low tide. The beach is shared with walkers and dogs, stay vigilant. Frequent sea fog (haar) which can severely reduce visibility.

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Additional stations

Ogimet - Leuchars (United Kingdom)3.8 km

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Nearby spots

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St. Andrews West Sands kitesurf, wingfoil and windsurf spot