St Andrews and Surrounding Area
Known as the home of golf, and home of Scotland's oldest university, St Andrews is a small town with a sizeable reputation that attracts visitors from all over the world.
The St Andrews Royal and Ancient Golf Club first met here in the spiritual home of golf in 1754, though it was first played here as early as the 15th century. The Old Course, most famous of the town's seven courses, is redolent of images of the world's greatest golfers at the British Open Championship down the years. You can actually play on the hallowed turf (and sand, rough, gorse etc) - however, you need to be rather good. Be inspired by golfing history at the British Golf Museum on the front near the clubhouse, or play a round on the Himalayas, a professionally good 18-hole putting course.
St Andrews University, founded in 1410, dominates the centre of town. The elegant, ivy-clad buildings and delightful quadrangles and gardens have seen a procession of famous graduates, recently including Prince William. The future king may have graduated, but it is still one of the top universities in Britain, often compared to Oxford and Cambridge for its defining presence and the collegiate feel it gives to the town. The Medieval centre of St Andrews, with its narrow alleys and cobbled streets, leads to the now ruined cathedral (once the largest in Scotland) and the adjacent church of St Regulus, where you can climb the spiral staircase to the top of an 108-foot tower for magnificent views of the town and its surroundings. The castle, perched on a promontory overlooking the sea, was the dramatic stage for several of the most notorious episodes of the Reformation.
St Andrews has two great beaches, one being the West Sands, where the famous opening sequence of 'Chariots of Fire' was shot. Amongst the town's many other attractions are the Botanic Gardens, the St Andrews aquarium and the Byre Theatre, one of only four 5-Star arts venues in Scotland.
