Best sports in St Andrews and the East Neuk
With St Andrews being the renowned ‘home of golf’, the town and its surrounding areas are quickly becoming a hub for sports enthusiasts. Whether you are an avid player of a particular sport, or fancy trialing something new whilst away on holiday, there is something to suit everyone.
Water sports
If there is one thing we are not short on here, it is beaches. The larger and more popular beaches around are great places to enjoy a variety of different water based sporting activities.
The picturesque coastline of West Sands in St Andrews is the home of Blown Away. They offer a great range of beach based activities including kayaking, paddle boarding, surfing, land yachting and even twin land yachting.
Along the coast in the popular holiday resort of Elie, the bay is the location of Elie Watersports. The curvature of the bay encloses sheltered water, providing an excellent spot for beginners to ‘test the water’ with something new. Further out to sea, the open water provides more challenging conditions for the more proficient participant. They offer a wide range of activities including sailing, windsurfing, canoeing, waterskiing, pedaloes and paddle boarding. Many children can be seen pier jumping – a lovely sight to see. Our guests will also receive a 10% discount off all activities, just show them your Kingask keyring when paying.
Golfing
St Andrews is without a doubt the place to be for any golfer or golfing fan, and with an empire of first-class courses within a short distance of each other, you won’t be short on places to play. Follow in the footsteps of legends and take a walk around the Old Course, the birth place of golf, which is open to the public every Sunday. Make sure you get a photo on the famous Swilcan Bridge!
Click here for more information on golfing in St Andrews and to browse our most appropriate properties for a golfing break.
Horse Riding
A great way to explore Fife’s stunning countryside is on horseback.
Kinshaldy Riding Stables is located within the heart of Tentsmuir forest, which covers over 50 square miles of woodland to be explored. Both hack’s around the forest and riding lessons within an enclosed riding school are available, catering for all levels.
Just outside of Cupar around a 15 minute drive from St Andrews is Barbarafield riding school. Set on 300 acres of privately owned farmland, the riding school offers a range of activities such as ‘own a pony day’ for younger children, as well as hacking for up to 3 hours and private riding lessons within an enclosed riding school.
Countryside Sports
The Scottish Countryman is located at Hammer Inn, just outside of Crail. They offer unique, one-to-one country experiences including falconry, archery and fly-fishing. The Bird of Prey experience lasts up to 2 hours and allows you to get hands on with some of Nature’s most beautiful creatures, the cost for this is £45. The ancient sport of Archery has since become a fun way to spend time with friends and family, the experience lasts around 45 minutes at £20 per person, or both mentioned experiences at a cost of £60 per person. Enjoy the tranquility of the riverbank and have a shot at fly-fishing. The lesson lasts for around 2.5 hours, where you will receive an introduction to the technique, transportation to the nearby fishing spot in their Jaguar F-Pace and around 90 minutes of fishing time. The cost is £140 per person, or £175 including lunch.
Our guests will receive 20% off The Scottish Countryman experiences, just input code ‘KINGASK20’ upon booking to redeem.
Cycling
Fife’s stunning countryside, charming villages and historic towns make for a delightful place to enjoy cycling. The most scenic of routes being along the spine of the East Neuk either to or from St Andrews with views of the Firth of Forth out to the Isle of May. Cycle path Scotland have some excellent local cycling route recommendations. They also lease out bicycles, whether it be for 1 day or 1 week, they even deliver and collect for free within St Andrews and for a small charge outside. Each hire comes equipped with a helmet and lock.
Our 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom property on Westburn Lane is a beautiful, modern apartment situated within a few minutes’ walk to the centre of town. The property comes with 2 bikes which are available for your use at no extra cost.
St Andrews running tour
A wonderful way to explore the delights of St Andrews whilst keeping fit, the 5km hour long tour starts off at the Taste Café, 148 North Street. For the first few kilometers, you pass the ancient University and Cathedral, onto East Sands and St Andrews Bay. You will then loop around to pass the Castle, down to the Royal and Ancient Golf course and West Sands beach. The tour is run at a gentle pace to suit people of all fitness levels, with a few stops along the way to learn about the landmarks and most importantly, take photos. The tours are £15 per person or £25 for 2 people.
