Access along the stretch of the Fife Coastal Path between St Andrews and Crail is under threat from new golf developments which are being built right up to the beach.
There has been a longstanding concern at Kingsbarns where walkers on the coastal path in places are obliged to pass very close to fairways and tees. This is despite representations made by the Ramblers at the planning stage and assurances made at the time by the California-based developers.
At St Andrew’s Bay and the new Castle Course at Kinkell the path is being pushed onto the shore, where walkers face boggy, rough conditions, partly due to problems with drainage from the golf courses, and at times are asked to wait for the tide to recede before continuing on with their walk. This is not an ideal situation for a promoted route!
We are keeping an eye on the Castle golf course and will be checking that a 5-metre access strip is maintained along the cliff top so that an alternative route will be available to walkers at high tide, or indeed any other time. However, we feel that 5m is not sufficient to give safe access or to protect the cliffs from erosion which has been caused by vegetation being cut back to allow the golf course to be built.
Further information on access over golf courses here: Archerfield
