Life's a beach as landlocked Cupar named as a seaside hotspot

Cupar is described as a 'rising seaside spot'

Yes, we know the town is landlocked, but according to one holiday company that clearly needs a geography lesson, Cupar is ranked among the top 10 seaside spots in 2016!

Holiday Lettings co.uk, which is owned by travel giant TripAdvisor, puts Cupar at number five in this year’s list of seaside towns that are rising in popularity.

Mysteriously, it’s seen an increase of almost 70 per cent in enquiries from would-be holidaymakers .

Also in the top 10 is Kirkcaldy, which at least has a coast. It came in at number seven – two places above Oban.

According to Holiday Lettings’ spokesman, Jack Johnson, data gathered by the company showed that in 2016 a number of ‘coastal locations’ saw a spike in demand.

“People have always loved going to the seaside, but this year it seems that travellers have really got the taste back for an old fashioned break by the sea,” Jack enthused in his press release.

“We’ve seen a 68 per cent and 55 per cent year-on-year spike in the number of enquiries for Cupar and Kirkcaldy this year – and 2016 isn’t even over yet!”

However when we contacted Jack to ask how Cupar managed to earn a reputation as seaside hotspot, he admitted that just a little poetic licence might have crept into the findings.

“We included geos within 10 miles of the sea in the research,” he said.

“I think Cupar just sneaks in.”

However David Kirk of Cupar Development Trust – which aims to promote the Cupar as a tourist destination in its own right –expressed despair at the gaffe.

“ It’s a shame indeed that the confusion of location ever arose - clearly shows a lack of attention at school when every geography teacher most certainly emphasises that ‘Wha would gang tae Cupar maun gang tae Cupar; A’ roads gang tae Cupar.’”

The Trust aims to put Cupar on the map by highlighting its charms as an historic market town rather than as a poor relation to St Andrews.

Meanwhile, to add insult to injury, organisers of a competition run by a national blind company are inviting Cuparians to nominate ‘the UK’s worst view’.

They’re appealing to those residents who ‘can only dream of a beautiful scene’.

The litter on the beach perhaps?