The town of St Andrews is steeped in history and was once the capital city of Scotland. 
In 1843 William III of Scotland conferred on the Society of St. Andrews Golfers the title The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews. 
In 1457 an act of the Scottish Parliament prohibited the playing of golf on Sunday in favour of archery and church attendance.  |
Local Information & Useful Links
St Andrews boasts two exceptional beaches. The West Sands pictured above and below is situated right beside the golf courses and was where the opening sequence of the early 1990's film Chariots of Fire was filmed. |
Click map above to take an interactive tour of St Andrews via the Saint-Andrews.co.uk website. In and Around St AndrewsA small selection of the many non-golfing activities & some useful links An excellent starting point for anyone visiting the area is the Visit St Andrews website which covers the history, local attractions, links to local entertainment and wining & dining etc. It also provides a number of useful links to other websites. Undiscovered Scotland - another useful online guide to the town & surrounding area. Walking & cycling trails - The Fife Coastal Path is a near 100 mile trail from the Forth Bridges to the Tay Bridge passing the Fife Coastal Villages and many Nature Reserves. It offers a complete range of walking experiences, from the easy and level to the wild and demanding and takes in 25 beaches along the way. St Andrews Botanic Gardens - 18 acres of award winning & internationally recognised gardens near the centre of town. The Byre Theatre - also in the middle of town offering a wide variety of drama, dance, concerts, opera, comedy, and film, as well as educational and community events. Falkland Palace - a magnificent palace built around the turn of the 16th century which was formerly the country residence of the Stuart Kings & Queens of Scotland. Now run by the National Trust, the palace is set in the beautiful medieval village of Falkland (itself the first conservation village in Scotland) about 40 minutes drive from St Andrews. Scottish Deer Centre - approx 20 minutes drive from St Andrews the Deer Centre has over 140 deer (9 different species) plus birds of prey with demonstrations and many other animals. Boat & bird watching trip to visit UK's largest Puffin centre, seals, migrating birds & whales (in season). Scotland's Secret Bunker Hidden beneath a typical Scottish farmhouse, a tunnel leads to a secret bunker; 24,000 sq ft of accommodation, the size of 2 soccer pitches, one on top of another, on 2 levels & 100ft underground. In the event of a nuclear war, this is where Scotland would have been governed from. Fishing - the River Tay is one of the largest catchments of any river in the UK and offers salmon, trout & coarse fishing. The fishing begins just short of Perth, about 45mins from St Andrews. Deep sea fishing is available from Arbroath, approx 1 hour's away beyond Dundee. Watersports at Elie - sailing, windsurfing, kayaking/canoeing, waterskiing, pedaloes, mountain biking, inflatable, boat trips. |
Our St Andrew’s Vacation Home is less than 10 minutes walk from the Royal and Ancient clubhouse and the 1st tee/18th green of the Old Course (above). We are approximately 15 minutes drive from Kingsbarns, 20-30 minutes from historic coastal courses such as Elie and Crail and the St Andrews Open Qualifying venues of Ladybank and Scotscraig. We are also about 45 minutes from Carnoustie (below) and its Qualifying courses Panmure and Monifieth. Gleneagles is around an hour's drive. 
More locally, in addition to the seven public courses administered and maintained by St Andrews Links Trust, the Kingdom of Fife has over 40 golf courses within its boundaries. They offer a real choice for golfers of all abilities and tastes. Courses range from Championship venues and Open qualifiers; links, clifftop and parkland courses; historic traditional courses and recent designs. 
Evidence of its historical roots are everywhere to be seen with the many University buildings, the old harbour and 8th century Cathedral ruins. The university was founded in 1411 and is the third oldest in Britain.
The three main streets in the town centre are full of quaint and traditional old local shops, many restaurants and bars and more modern conveniences like ATMs and a late night supermarket.
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