Fire?

[lts2]

Does anyone know where it is legal to have a bonfire in st andrews? Thanks

[Paranoid]

I always lit up a fire at Castle Sands, never got done for it. I do recall that one of the beaches allows for open fires, think its the west Sands.

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..I've got this pain down all the diodes on my left side...

[Fozzy Bear]

i dont think it's particularly legal but i've heard of people having fires on castle sands without any trouble.

[David]

Its usually ok unless someone makes a complaint for too much noise, probably safest to light one at west sands tho,

[Al]

It's legal to have a fire on the foreshore of any beach in Scotland.

[Mr Comedy]

I believe that it is legal to have one past the second roundabout on West Sands, although that may be an urban rumour. You can also quite happily have one on Castle Sands, which is generally fine as well.
It may not be legal, but it is damn good fun.

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"I am in no way interested in immortality, but only in the taste of tea. " -Lu Tung

[Starla]

If you're worried, you can get fire permits.

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"We all live in our Fantasy and only endure our Reality..." - R.A.Wilson

[Freaker]

Castle Sands seems to be fine. There are fires on East Sands occasionally, and I have often heard that it is the "more legal" beach to use compared to West Sands. I always thought that West Sands was the pretty/touristy beach without bonfires, and it was Castle Sands and East Sands where students could do as they please.

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I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days attack me at once.

[Lid]

Some of my friends had their names taken by the police not long back. Apparently they hadn't applied to Fife Council for a permit.

The police didn't seem to mind the copious amounts of alcohol sat about around the fire, though.

Edit: Oh, this was on Castle Sands, by the way

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Mathematical Anti Telharsic Harfatum Septomin

[Lid]

Quoting Lid from 23:22, 14th Mar 2007
Some of my friends had their names taken by the police not long back. Apparently they hadn't applied to Fife Council for a permit.

The police didn't seem to mind the copious amounts of alcohol sat about around the fire, though.

Edit: Oh, this was on Castle Sands by the way.
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Mathematical Anti Telharsic Harfatum Septomin

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Mathematical Anti Telharsic Harfatum Septomin

[MacMan]

As mentioned, it is not actually illegal to have a fire on a beach in Scotland, so long as it is carried out safely and the fire is properly put out and cleaned up at the end. The only trouble you may get is if a local resident (or someone else) complains to the Police about it, then the Police must take action. The worst that will happen is that the Police will ask you to extinguish the fire: you won't get a fine, arrested or a criminal record for something so trivial (unless you're burning a car or something).

The best idea is to hold it somewhere out of the general view of the public / town. The best place is Castle Sands where myself and some friends successfully burned an upright piano in January.

Link:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=42ZrFzk0CMk

The further end of West Sands is also good.

Basically, burn stuff safely and responsibly and don't leave a mess afterwards and you will be fine.

Have fun!

[munchingfoo]

Okay - so here is the actual law.

Creating fire without the intent to perform arson is not a national crime, however many local areas have their own bylaws on the subject.

St Andrews is no exception. It is illegal under the local bylaw of St Andrews to create a fire within the town limits.

So, where do the town limits end?

Well, if you want to make a fire on the beach, you must make said fire below the high water mark. Any beach area below these limits comes under the jurisdiction of the coast guard and therefore does not fall into the category of the local St Andrews Bylaw. However, it is also illegal to light fires in coast guard jurisdiction which may interfere with shipping.

Basically there is nowhere in St Andrews where it is "legal" to light a fire, but I would recommend Castle Sands since nobody really cares unless the police know you are there or someone complains.

[hr]

Tired Freudian references aside - your mother played my mighty skin flute like a surf crowned sea nymph trying to rouse Poseidon from his watery slumber!

[bdw]

Further to Al and the 'foo, statutory access rights to most public land (but not public golf courses) were created by the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003. This allows people to exercise a right of access to the beach for recreational and other purposes. As the extent of the local authority’s powers presumably includes the area of the beach above the mean high spring water mark, any bye-laws it has enacted relating to fires will apply to that area.

Separate and overriding common law rights for the public to use the foreshore (between mean high and low spring water level) for recreational purposes are safeguarded by the Crown (more specifically, by the Lord Advocate) and include lighting fires. These rights date from time immemorial, which is why beach parties in St Andrews have been sponsored by Tay FM since 1411.

[DrAlex]

Friends told me that they once attempted to start a bonfire on West Sands and were turned away by the Police. The justification was that West Sands dunes have an endangered species of grass growing on them, and so are protected by law. Castle Sands, they said, was near a residential area, so it was also a no-no. East sands, however, was only students near that beach, so have at it.

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The Sinner: Where no one ever learned "if you haven't got any thing nice to say, don't say anything at all."

[Mehmsy]

Some friends and I had a bonfire on East Sands in October. As mentioned above, we made sure to start the fire below the watermark (so going at low tide helps), and had no trouble whatsoever.

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