There’s a lot more to St. Andrews than Golf – 7 Great Reasons to Visit

St Andrews has attracted visitors to its shores for centuries and is renowned the world over as the “home of golf”. Today, this charming town boasts some of the most impressive links in the golfing world.

It’s also an area of outstanding natural beauty that’s steeped in myths, mysteries and magic. Being a university town, St Andrews is vibrant with something happening at any given moment in time. The museums and galleries are a feast for the eyes, the restaurants, pubs, tearooms and cafés are warm, welcoming and where visitors get to taste the marvellous flavours of this lovely northern land.

St Andrews Museum

A stay in St Andrews is all about taking in the beautiful scenery, dramatic coastlines and superb beaches found in the area. However, the cultural and historical heritage has to be explored too and one good place to start is at the St Andrews Museum in its majestic Victorian mansion setting in Kinburn Park.

On the lower floor there’s a permanent exhibition telling the story of St Andrews but upstairs there’s ever changing exhibitions that cover an extensive selection of topics and themes.

The Wonderfully Placed Seafood Restaurant

One of the greatest places to relax for a while and enjoy tremendous local fare is the Seafood Restaurant. This ultra-contemporary eatery offers outstanding vistas out to sea. The food is exceptionally good and sourced locally but it’s the restaurants’ location that’s out of this world hovering about the ocean as it does. The restaurant opened in 2003 and has gone from strength to strength over the ensuing years. It’s just one of the many restaurants worth taking in when on a trip to St Andrews.

The Exquisite & Vast Botanic Garden

For avid gardeners and others alike, the Botanic Garden in St Andrews is a feast of colour and fragrances. It is a hidden treasure that explodes into life when spring time arrives. There’s a lot to see and wander at from superbly laid out flower beds to gorgeous trees and shrubs. The gardens are set out over 18 acres of horticultural and botanical splendour. Many of the exotic species of plants cultivated there have achieved recognition the world over. The glasshouse is filled with exotic fragrant species of plants sourced from warmer climes and which thrive and flourish so well in such a glorious and unique setting.

St Andrews Castle

There are many historical sites in and around St Andrews which offers visitors the chance to step back in time. One place to start the adventure is in the majestic castle which stands proudly just to the north of St Andrews on a windswept headland. The castle was home to the bishops and archbishops of times gone by but today it stands in ruins a legacy of the importance of the Church in Medieval times.

Superb Beaches

The beaches around St Andrews are simply put “gorgeous” and on a clear day offer the chance to spend a little quality time in superb settings looking out over the ocean. If very lucky, a pod of dolphins might well be spotted cavorting a little offshore and the bird-life is amazing.

Wonderful Trails

If you love the great outdoors, the trails around St Andrews offer some of the best hiking in the country along rugged coastlines and past brilliant inland landscapes – it’s the perfect place to recharge batteries.

A Golfers Delight – The British Golf Museum

It would be impossible to visit St Andrews without taking a tour around the British Golf Museum situated just a stone’s throw away from the old course. It’s a golfing fans idea of heaven but for others too it’s a fascinating place to wander around because it is filled with fascinating golfing treasures.

Conclusion

You may be planning to take a trip to the pleasant Kingdom of Fife and you would most certainly like to visit a few of the marvellous golf courses but there is so much more to the gorgeous university town of St Andrews. For foodies, the restaurant and café scene is exceptional. For those who like to delve into the past, historical sites abound. For people who adore the great outdoors, the landscapes, coastlines and beaches are out of this world and for the art lover; the cultural scene is vibrant and innovative. There really is something for everyone in this lovely Scottish town.If you’re looking for hte perfect place to stay then why not try one of our beautiful Coach Houses.

Image Credits: Kiril Strax and hjz2007