George and Helen Gordon

George and Helen Gordon operate the West Sands beach concession, serving ice cream, snacks, and refreshments on the most famous beach in St Andrews. West Sands is the long sandy stretch north of the Old Course that featured in the opening sequence of Chariots of Fire — the 1981 Oscar-winning film whose beach running scene is one of cinema's most celebrated images. The beach stretches for nearly two miles, backed by the links of the Royal and Ancient and overlooking the Eden estuary. A Gordon family ice cream van or beach concession on West Sands is as much a part of the St Andrews summer experience as a round on the Old Course, serving visitors who walk out to the estuary end and back.