St Andrews - East Sands & Castle

Navigating The Route

This is a circular Treasure Hunt around St Andrews East Sands & Castle, with Explorers helping Sandie Beech track down a treasure hoard supposedly buried around St Andrews East Sands after she finds her uncle Brian E Beech's research into a family link with the pirate Captain Sheeva McTimbers.

The quest covers around 2 miles and should take around 2 hours to complete. You'll set off from Woodburn Place car park beside St Andrews Sailing Club, explore East Sands and the harbour area, head into the Eastern Cemetery and historic town centre sections, tackle The Pends, then return along the path beside the beach and follow East Sands back to the car park.

This Trail is not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs. The route is mostly level, but it includes the harbour area, steps up to the Eastern Cemetery and a hill at The Pends. Explorers who want to avoid the cemetery steps can go through the archway and up the road to the next entrance gates, about 100m on the right.

Take great care in the car park and on the harbour edge: there are steep drops with open water and lots of tripping hazards. Stay alert near moving traffic and supervise children and dogs closely.

Getting There

By car: Start at Woodburn Place car park, beside St Andrews Sailing Club (KY16 8LA). This is the recommended car park, reached off the A917 and signposted as beach parking.

By public transport: Make your way to Woodburn Place car park, beside St Andrews Sailing Club (KY16 8LA), to begin the quest. The circular route brings you back to East Sands and the car park once the buried pirate hoard has been hunted down.

Need the Loo?

There are seasonal toilets just under the archway near Clue 03. Later in the quest, toilets in Church Square are signposted after Clue 13.

Bring Your Furry Sidekicks

Four-legged Explorers are welcome to join this treasure hunt. 🐾

Keep dogs close and supervised around the car park, harbour edge, open water and tripping hazards, and stay alert near moving traffic. The route also includes steps up to the Eastern Cemetery and a hill at The Pends, so be ready for a proper seaside leg-stretch.

Food & Drink Stops

Pirate treasure hunting is hungry work, so bring supplies before you set off.

There are refreshments after Clue 12, plus a small cafe by the harbour footbridge. If you'd rather picnic, you can settle anywhere after Clue 17, overlooking the sea.

Want to Make a Day of It?

East Sands Beach

East Sands Beach is close to the harbour and sailing club, making it an easy sandy extra before or after the quest. There are plenty of watersports here, including surfing and sailing, and fascinating rock pools at the south end of the beach for Mini Explorers with sharp eyes. Kinkell Braes Caravan Site is only five minutes away.

Eastern Cemetery

The route goes into the Eastern Cemetery as part of the historic town centre section of the hunt. You can take the steps up to it, or use the alternative route through the archway and up the road to the next entrance gates, about 100m on the right.

Byre Theatre

The Byre Theatre has a wonderfully unlikely origin story. A theatre has stood on this site since 1933, when a semi-derelict cow byre was cleaned up and used by the St Andrews Play Club. It was demolished in 1969, a new modest theatre opened in 1970, and the current Byre Theatre opened in 2001 to critical acclaim.

St Andrews West Sands beach

If your crew fancies another beachy encore, St Andrews West Sands beach brings a splash of screen fame. It was used for the iconic slow-motion running sequence in the 1981 Oscar-winning film 'Chariots of Fire', and annual Beach Race events take place here every June.