Scotland
West Sands Beach
Enjoy West Sands Beach: vast expanses, iconic golf course views, and thrilling water sports, perfect for energetic beach days and scenic jogs.
About Castle Sands, St Andrews
Castle Sands is a small cove under the ruins of St Andrews Castle, reached by a steep flight of steps from The Scores. It is a different beach from the long West Sands, and it is the one St Andrews sea glass hunters actually use. The glass comes from the town's old breweries, distilleries and potteries, and the cove is covered at high water.
Sea glass at Castle Sands, St Andrews
A huge amount of green and white glass, though rare colours are unlikely; some people find bottle fragments embossed with 'St Andrews' or 'Cupar'. Walk the waterline at mid tide; low tide is reportedly not worth it here.
Visiting Castle Sands, St Andrews
- Getting there
- Down a steep flight of steps from The Scores, below St Andrews Castle.
- Safety
- Check the tide times before you go and head out on a falling tide, so you're never cut off. Keep away from the bottom of cliffs, wear sturdy shoes on rocks, and only take sea glass and other man-made rubbish: pebbles, sand and shells should stay on the beach.
From the community
Hunters' reviews of Castle Sands, St Andrews
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Sources
- seaglassmap.com : Loads of glass, green and white; steep steps from The Scores; go at mid tide, covered at high water.
- intheheather.com : Scottish sea glass jeweller's top-3 list includes Castle Sands: huge abundance of green and white, few rare colours, bottles marked Cupar/St Andrews (page was offline when checked; content seen via search snippet).
- tripadvisor.co.uk : Visitor review calls it 'unbelievably rich in sea-glass' (via search snippet; page blocked direct fetch).
- seaglassmap.com : Included in Seaglassmap's 10 best UK sea glass beaches; cites a St Andrews graduate who regularly collected sea glass there.
Last updated 23 October 2026
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