Saint Andrews: it is seacoast town in the east of Scotland, a place with connections to the wider world and much to explore close by, as well.
You might think of golf, when you think of Saint Andrews , and with good reason (the town, by the way does not use an apostrophe in its name).
About the golf: there are seven courses in the area, including The Old Course, which is often the site of the British Open and by far the most famous one.
It’s said that Mary Queen of Scots played a few rounds in Saint Andrews in the 1500s, and that the game has been played in the area since the fourteenth century. As you might imagine, demand to play the Old Course is high and something you will need to look into long in advance if that’s in your plan.
There are other ways to enjoy golf at and near the Old Course, whether or not you play the game.
There is the Golf Academy at Saint Andrews, with instructors happy to teach you no matter your age or experience. The award winning British Museum of Golf is nearby, with all you could want to know about centuries of the game’s history.
If you know cinema, perhaps Chariots of Fire comes to mind when you think of St Andrews. The famous running scene found the West Sands standing in for seaside in Kent in the film.
West Sands, East Sands, and Castle Sands are the nearest beaches to explore. for views and walks by the seaside. At West Sands there are beach wheelchairs on offer (at no cost) to help make Saint Andrews seaside accessible to all.
If history or archaeology intrigue you, there is much to find in Saint Andrews as well.
You may have seen pictures of the cathedral. It stand in ruins now., though it was once Scotland’s largest church and the seat of its archbishops.
It’s said that worship had been held where the cathedral’s ruins stand since 700 CE and that this is where Saint Andrew the Apostle’s remains were brought to Scotland (how and why did that happen? I told you a bit of that story in this article about Saint Andrew’s Day ).
Saint Rule was the one who brought those relics, the legends go. There’s a tower named for him nearby. There is also an excellent museum on site which will help you understand the cathedral’s long history.
Saint Andrews is home to other long lived and well worth your time places as well.
The town center, for isntance, still retains much of its medieval character, helped along by the presence of the University of Saint Andrews.
The university is equal to Oxford and Cambridge in academic rigor and reputation, and is the third oldest university in the English speaking world. It was founded in 1413. Many of the university’s buildings date from the 1400s.
If royalty is your interest, this is where a recent connection to Saint Andrews comes in.
Saint Salvator’s College is one of the oldest colleges which make up the university.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge both graduated from that college of the university, he with a degree in geography and she with an honors degree in art history.
It was in the relaxed and relatively quiet atmosphere of Saint Andrews that the future king and queen first met and got to know each other.
If you’d like to walk in their footsteps a bit, Ruby’s Chinese takeaway and Ma Bell’s Pub were places the couple stopped while students at the university. In the quad at Saint Salvator’s, between the ancient buildings there was a ceilidh to celebrate their wedding, too.
At the university you can also take in the Bell Pettigrew Museum of Natural History. and the Wardlaw Museum.
At the recently redesigned Wardlaw you will find multi media exhibits galleries featuring art, history, science and natural history. The Wardlaw is worth an story on its own; that’ll come in future.
Seaside means seafood, too, and there are plenty of places to try it.
To mention but two, Haar is an upscale place for a meal, while Tailend is a informal spot great for fish and chips. Arbroath smokies and hot smoked salmon are also on their menu It’s in the town center; Haar is near the Old Course.
When it comes things to eat, it’d just be wrong to visit Saint Andrews without including Jannetta’s.
The family run business has been going for more than one hundred years spanning four generations; they know what they are about and have won all kinds of awards recognizing that. Every year they choose local charities and events to support, too, an extra reason to feel good as you enjoy your treat.
Speaking of events: two music ones you will want to consider are the multi genre Saint Andrews Voices , a celebration each October that included, jazz, folk, classical, and other artists from nearby and across the world, and in November the Fringe of Gold Festival celebrating wind, brass and percussion.
Cathedral ruins, great and varied museums, the site of a world renown sport, a university that is top in the world, award winning gelato: what else to know about Saint Andrews?
Plenty, actually. There’s a castle, an aquarium, more museums, a historic pilgrim route, pubs of all sorts to explore, friendly people to meet…
Take these ideas these ideas to begin to build off on your own exploration of Saint Andrews. You will be well rewarded.
Photograph of the quadrangle at Saint Salvator’s courtesy of the University of Saint Andrews; photograph of gelato courtesy of Jannetta’s Gelateria
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