vacatia

Hi all,

Everyone here has been a great help so far. I'm planning on taking the train to St Andrews for the day (from Edinburgh), I believe the train ride is about an hour long, correct?

Once I'm there I'll obviously like to see the cathedral, but can you suggest what else I can do there during the day? I won't have a car, and I like wandering around but would like to know where exactly I should wander to. I don't care about golf, but I care about seeing nice sights and historical things.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

PalenQ

the train goes to Leuchars where you get off and hop on a bus the few miles to St andrews - buses from Edinburgh I think go direct to St Andrews and may be cheaper.

I loved St Andrews- just wandering the old town and univrsity area (prince William matriculated here) - the seaside has a nice wild look and feeling - some kind of old ruins there if I recall right. No golf but do look at the Old Course - home of golf - their clubhouse and museum area right in town.

The highlight of the trip for me was going over the famous Firth of Forth cantilever bridge!

https://www.google.com/search?q=firt...=1600&bih=1075

Gordon_R

Take the 1-hour train journey - the bus service is slooooow. St Andrews is a small town and you can easily walk from one end to the other in just over 10 minutes. Part of its undoubted charm is just wandering around the ancient streets on foot - no plan needed. I was doing exactly this last Monday afternoon.

Take your pick from:-

- The old fishing harbour with the pier;
- The ruined cathedral (you can go to the top of St Rule's tower if you are fit and not claustrophobic);
- St Andrews Castle ruins;
- Golf Museum;
- West Sands (a glorious long sandy beach immortalised in the movie Chariots of Fire);
- St Andrews University Museum;
- Historic University buildings dotted around the town;
- Aquarium;
- Visiting the many cosmopolitan little shops selling artisan foods and gifts, as well as the many cosy coffee places and pubs

Let me know if you need any more info - I have personal connections with St Andrews.

PalenQ

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Queensferry

If you have time on the way back get off the train at North Queensferry as you can get a great view of the bridge from there and also see an old Forthside town.

vacatia

Thank you! Let me research the things mentioned and I'll get back to you with any more questions I may have.

MaisonPlague

I used to go to St Andrews a lot as a kid on Sunday outings. The sea is always freezing but it's a charming place.

vacatia

We wound up going there for a day, played some mini-putt and strolled around a bit. Would probably never go back as it wasn't extraordinarily exciting by any means, but it was nice to see for one time only. We even got to sit on the Old Bridge and take a picture, which was neat.

flanneruk

"the seaside has a nice wild look and feeling - some kind of old ruins there if I recall right."

So does PalQ, with characteristic contempt for the places he's visiting, dismiss St Andrews Cathedral: before the wanton vandalism that turned it into rubble, Scotland's greatest church.

We understand his heart is with the Protestant extremists who, in the late 16th century, destroyed hundreds of years of craftsmanship in what had been Scotland's ecclesiastical capital. But he really might spend just a nanosecond learning more about the places he visits than a few tabloid headlines about celebrity students.