Happy Sunday everyone, today’s travel post is all about the incredible town of St Andrews, a perfect destination no matter the weather. My family and I spent a beautiful week staying here, a place we have all loved and have grown up adoring. If you appreciate beaches, harbours, and gorgeous sunsets, all set in a historic and scenic setting, then you will fall in love with St Andrews!
The Castle Sands and Harbour
The town of St Andrews is on the East coast of Scotland, North of Edinburgh, and about a half hour drive away from the city of Dundee (which is also worth a visit if you are in the area). St Andrews is famous for its golf courses, St Andrews University, and its idyllic coastal setting. The town is perfect for a day trip if you enjoy walking and learning about Scotland’s history, but it also makes a great holiday if want to take a longer trip.
The house we were staying in was right behind the sea front on North Castle Street, right by ‘The Scores’, the famous street that runs along the St Andrews sea front. Due to being a popular tourist destination, there is a huge variety of accommodation to pick from in St Andrews, from hotels, houses, and bed and breakfasts. We found that staying near the centre was great as we were near to Market Street, this is the high street where there are lots of shops and good places to eat and drink. But we were also very near the beaches and the coastal walks.
We went for a brisk walk along to the harbour every morning of our trip, the house was also just a couple of minutes walking distance from the harbour, a great place to see the town awakening each morning after the sunrise. Almost every morning we saw herons down on the rocks by the harbour, incredibly majestic animals which were fascinating to watch. My Uncle managed to take this incredible photograph of one of them!
The photo below shows the coastal path that you can follow right along from the Scores, along side the cliffs to the harbour, there are benches and tourist information boards along the way. It makes a great place to bring a picnic in the summer, but even in winter it was still very enjoyable.
The West Sands Beach
The West Sands is just a 15 minute walk from the town centre, and if you’ve seen the film ‘Chariots of Fire’ you will recognise this beach from the opening scene. The beach is about 2 miles long and is very close to the famous ‘Old Course’ which is a very popular tourist destination for golf fans, especially in the summer months. The beach makes a serene and peaceful walk, even if there are other people around it still feels this way. There is parking at the beach, and the golf museum and toilets are also close by.
St Andrews Cathedral
Despite our many trips to St Andrews, we had never visited St Andrews Cathedral, and it was well worth the visit! The cathedral, now in remains, was once Scotland’s biggest cathedral and most important church. The museum has some extremely interesting artefacts and information boards, dating from early medieval times. St Rule’s church (on the cathedral site) is estimated to have been built in 1130, and the cathedral begun in 1160. It was finally complete in 1318, Robert the Bruce was present for this momentous occasion in Scotland’s history.
Here is a link to the Visit Scotland website which has more information about the cathedral if you are planning a visit. The staff who worked in the museum and gift shop here were also very helpful.
We climbed to the top of St Rules’ Tower, which can be seen the photo above, it is about 33m tall. It was an extremely narrow and steep climb but the view at the top was certainly worth the hike. You get a panoramic view of the town, and all the way out to sea. The weather was lovely on the day we went so the sun made the view even more glorious. There is a fee to pay in order to visit the cathedral, but it is not expensive, and you can also get a discount if you get a ticket to visit St Andrews Castle which is just down the road.
The East Sands Beach
The East Sands is also just along from the harbour and is a very short walk from the town centre. You can also get a great view of St Andrews castle from here, and to the West Sands in the distance. This beach is usually quieter due to it being a bit rockier and further from the town centre, so if you want an even more peaceful beach to stop off at and watch the seabirds then this spot is ideal.
This photo was taken just outside of the house we were staying in and shows St Andrews Castle, we did not visit the castle on this trip but it looks like another great place to go if you are visiting St Andrews. There is more information about the castle on the Visit Scotland website which can be found here.
Hope you’re having a great day wherever you are in the world, and that you get to experience St Andrews and all it has to offer. Let me know if you have ever visited!
Mol x
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Great post ๐
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Thank you! ๐
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Wonderful photos–thanks for sharing!
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Thank you, youโre welcome!
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Stunning!!! Looks like a great place to visit in winter when there are no crowds. We love beaches in winter for that reason- they are still beautiful but with less crowd!
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Exactly, it was so peaceful! I totally agree with you ๐
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Ive never been to Scotland but this sounds amazing!! Somlovely pictures!
Paige x
paigesummerx.wordpress.com
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Thank you Paige! ๐
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What a beautiful place St Andrews looks! Your photos are stunning in this post ๐ I love that you have included a bit of history on the place too.
Sounds and looks like you had a lovely week!
Thanks for sharing.
Aimsy xoxo
https://www.aimsysantics.co.uk
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It is, thank you! Glad you enjoyed ๐
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Wow this looks absolutely stunning your photos are amazing. A great post my parents are going to do a travel around Scotland I will forward them this xx
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Aw thank you, I hope they find it useful!
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WOW! so beautiful and stunning! One day I hope to travel to St. Andrews.
Thanks for sharing!
Loren | plaidandsugar.blogspot.ca
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Loved this post and the photos speak for themselves!
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this looks amazing…great photos!! I just moved to Ireland so I’m hoping to make a trip over to Scotland soon, and this is definitely making me want to book a trip ASAP ๐
-Hannah
thepinkgeneration.com
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Thank you! I would love to visit Ireland one day!
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This looks so incredibly amazing. I would love to visit Scotland! Thank you for sharing and inspiring me to add another destination to my someday travel list.
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I hope you get to visit, sure youโd love it! ๐
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Sounds like a wonderful place with lots to do. I’ve been wanting to visit for a while, might have to find the time this year.
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After reading this post, I really want to go visit St Andrews! I’ve been Edinburgh before, but that’s about it. Everywhere looks beautiful, your pictures are amazing. Definitely going my list of places to visit!
Chloe xx
http://www.chloechats.com
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I love Edinburgh too, thank you very much! X
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Such beautiful photos! My brother-in-law has traveled all over the world with his job and says the most beautiful country is Scotland. Would love to visit someday.
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Oh wow this looks gorgeous! Brilliant photos. I’ve never been to Scotland but I’ve always wanted to, definitely adding this to my list!
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I hope you get to visit one day!
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Very beautiful photos !! ๐
https://jessierenea.com/10-important-ways-to-practice-self-love/
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Absolutely stunning!! Really enjoyed reading this post, so interesting and informative and wonderful photos!
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Iโm glad you enjoyed it ๐
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Amazing photos and very informative! I really want to visit Scotland one day, I always hear so many good things about it and see gorgeous photos like these, definitely on my bucket list!
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Your photos are stunning! So many incredible views! Iโve never been to Scotland, but Iโd love to go!
Andrea | https://andreapeacock.com
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St. Andrews looks amazing! ๐ I really want to go to Scotland, it looks and sounds so beautiful and I’d love to see the architecture and castles. Your pictures are so lovely! Thanks for sharing x
Shannen | https://bookmarksandink.com
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Iโve never heard of St.Andrews before but it looks incredible! Such amazing views! Some of those pictures look majestic! Definitely one for the bucket list!
https://fifuelsfitness.wordpress.com
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Beautiful! Idyllic pics! Great post!
-Morgan @ http://www.mommyaboveall.com
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I would love to visit St Andrews, especially after reading about your experiences. Thank you for sharing the beautiful photos and the information.
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Wow such a beautiful post and I love the imagery. I have added this place to my never ending bucket list. Hopefully I can visit this year ๐
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Thank you very much Victoria! I hope you get to visit in the future โบ๏ธ
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Hi Molly, thanks for writing about St Andrews. I’m actually from Newcastle so not that far in the car, technically. I’ve only ever visited Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow before. However, St Andrews looks and sounds like a beautiful weekend getaway. Are there caravan places there? Great post I will have to visit!
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Thanks Alex! Yes it would make a perfect weekend trip! Yes there is a caravan park, Iโve got a link here if that helps! http://www.abbeyford.com/our-parks/st-andrews-holiday-park/
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