1fredrick1

Three couples will be 3 days in Scotland the end of May. One day, 2 in the party hope to golf St. Andrews. Looking for ideas in the vicinity that the rest of us can check out- interesting sites, drives, tours, walks, pubs, etc. Thanks in advance from a first-time visitor to UK.

janisj

1fredrick1: There is a TON of stuff to see in, near, and w/i a reasonable drive of St Andrews.

a short and far from comprehensive list would include: St Andrews Cathedral, St Andrews Castle, the Fife fishing villages (mainly Crail/Anstruther/Pittenweem but othere too), Falkland (both the village and the Palace), Hill of Tarvitt House, a boat trip (from Anstruther) to the Isle of May for sea birds/lighthouses/history.

A bit farther but easy day or 1/2 day trips could include Glamis Castle, Perth/Scone Palace, Loch Leven Castle, or even Edinburgh.

There are a lot of other sites - but as you can see this partial list is waaaaay too much for just your 3 days.

(ignore Dr_F - he just registered today to bring up old threads and post useless things)

janisj

You can ignore my comment about Dr_F. A Dr_Frankenstein screen name appeared today and he posted garbage to your thread. But Fodors editors must be on top of things tonight because they've already zapped his posts . . . .

Craigellachie

There's enough in St Andrews to keep you amused a day or two even if like me you aren't a golf fan. Walk along the west sands to say hello to the seals and maybe see some championship standard kite flying on the way. Visit the castle, cathedral (with museum) and the small independent museum in the old part of town. There are some interesting shops hiding in amongst the usual high street chains, and some good pubs which are all smoke free from 26 March If you like Thai food don't miss the Nahm-Jim, down a narrow lane behind the Tourist Information Office.
Further afield, Elie is my favourite of the East Neuk villages but any of them is worth a visit. Janis has offered plenty of other suggestions, but if you have a good map and a good map reader try exploring some of the back roads between St Andrews and the main A92 road, either as a detour on your way somewhere else or just for the drive itself.

_jinx_

If the golfers in your party would like to try to get on the Old Course, have them call the Links Trust at 01334 466666 before 2pm on the day before they want to play. Ask to enter the ballot for the next day. That next day cannot be Sunday because the Old Course is closed. They must have golf handicap verification from their home club.

If that fails, they can go down to the starter's hut around 5am on the day they wish to play and have a good chance to get worked on when openings occur. They may have to split up but chances are good to get a round in on the Old.

Cheers,

Jinx Hoover

sheila

What do the companions LIKE? There are enough good options that they won't have to just settle.