Walking in St Andrews

How can I get started?

You do not have to walk for hours. Walking for 30 minutes five times a week is the recommended ideal and the best way to do this is to include walking as part of your commute that way you will not only feel better physically and mentally you will be lowering your carbon footprint too.

Don’t know where to start? Here are some walking tips from the National Health Service (NHS) to get you started. You could try the NHS Active 10 Walking Tracker App or Couch to 5k.

Local Route Inspiration

New to the area? Want to explore? Here are a few walking and running routes to get you started.

Check out the St Andrews Interactive Walking and Cycling Map.

Walk over the Fife Coastal Path. There is so much for you to discover on the Fife Coastal Path. Stretching for 117 miles from the Firth of Forth in the south, to the Firth of Tay in the north, the route offers an unrivalled walking experience.

Some other good walks include those listed here.

Why should I walk?

Walking has many health benefits, including:

Reduction of stress

Better levels of fitness

Reduced risk of heart disease and stroke

Improved management of chronic conditions

Stronger bones and improved balance

Increased muscle strength and endurance

Walking Groups

National and Regional Groups

Ramblers Scotland offer group walks all over the country for a range of ages and levels.

Paths for All organise short volunteer led friendly walks for every local authority in Scotland.

Bums Off Seats is a Fife Walking Initiative. They provide free local health walking opportunities in Fife and all walks are led by a trained team of Volunteer Walk Leaders. A health walk is a free, short, local walk and is suitable for most people, even if you have a long term health condition such as Dementia or Cancer. This is a Fife Council funded project with support from Active Fife and Paths for All.

Wee Walk Once a Week

Open to all staff and students, the group organise a short walk in the town once a week, with regular ‘portable breakfast/lunch’ walks and periodic ‘expert leader’ walks at weekends for staff, students, friends and family members.

‌The weekday walks will be scheduled in advance (so people can plan ahead) and will take place either the early morning, late afternoon or at lunchtimes, and will alternate between different days to make them as accessible as possible.

For more information, please see the University of St Andrews W WOW website.

Breakaway

The University of St Andrews Hillwalking Club.

Be you a “Munro Bagger” or someone who wants to see Scotland at a more leisurely pace, the Breakaway Club is for you! On every trip there are suitable walks for everyone, regardless of experience. We go into the remote and beautiful Scottish countryside for day and weekend trips.

For more information, please see their website or Facebook group.