Cool Place of the Day: Kinshaldy Beach, Fife, Scotland

Every day, a new place to discover or explore, from coolplaces.co.uk

Kinshaldy Beach, Fife, Scotland

Just in case you didn’t know, it’s National Barbecue Week, and we’ve found the perfect place for a beachside barbie, just outside St Andrews, where Kinshaldy Beach has long been a popular day out for families from Fife and further afield. Accessible via the long and winding road through Leuchers, and the dense pine forest of Tentsmuir, you reach a range of high sand dunes before reaching the beach – basically a forest and nature reserve that covers 50 square miles in all, with a beautiful, large expanse of white sand at its heart. It can get extremely busy when the sun shines, with queues for parking forming early. However, the three miles of sand somehow manage to absorb the crowds and are ideal for sunbathing, although the fast-moving tides mean it's often unadvisable to swim.

Behind the beach, there are benches and barbecue stations on a field in one of the forest openings, and for a post-barbie stroll there are marked walks and cycle routes through the forest, where it's possible to see red squirrels, deer and several species of bats. There are also some World War Two defences along the beach – concrete blocks known as "Dragons' Teeth" – beyond which you can often spot the basking grey seals.

Cool Places is a new website from the creators of Rough Guides and Cool Camping, suggesting the best places to stay, eat, drink and shop in Britain (coolplaces.co.uk)