THE BIRTHPLACE OF GOLF

THE BIRTHPLACE OF GOLF...as a Daytrip from Scotland's Edinburgh or even Glasgow

Hastings House author Judith Frances Duddle, in her travel guidebook Daytrips Scotland & Wales, shows us that St. Andrews is also about more than golf, having magnificent ocean views, a ruined medieval castle, the remains of a great cathedral, a quaint harbor, a folk museum and a local history museum. And it's easy to get to, especially from Edinburgh.

ST. ANDREWS

On May 14 1754, twenty-two "Gentlemen of honour, skillful in the ancient and healthy excercise of Golf," founded the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews — which is the world's most celebrated golf course.

St. Andrews is a picturesque Royal Burgh at the centre of the golf world and boasts several fine courses, including the famed Old Course, beloved of champions past and present.

The golfing Mecca is renowned for more than the game it gave the world — overlooking the sea but now standing in ruin, St. Andrews Castle is a lasting epitaph of a distant past. Founded in 1200, the castle was the dramatic wave-swept backdrop of many of the bloodiest episodes of the Reformation. Another building left in ruin is that of St. Andrews Cathedral, although it is still possible to this day to climb the daunting St. Rules Tower.

As the golf course is practically in the town and the public footpaths cut right through it, you can follow a round of golf from start to finish — even if you're not a player.

GETTING THERE:
Trains marked for Dundee leave Edinburgh's Waverley Station at hourly intervals for the 95-minute journey to Leuchars, the nearest station to St. Andrews. From there cathch a bus or taxi into St. Andrews, a distance of 5 miles.
Trains from Glasgow's Queen Street Station via Edinburgh's Waverley Station, will arrive in Leuchars after a 2¼- hour journey.
By Car from Edinburgh, take the toute A8, A90, A91 and A915 to St. Andrews. The total distance is 55 miles.
By Car from Glasgow, take the A80, M80, M9 and A91 route. The total distance is 74 miles.

PRACTICALITIES:
The local Tourist Information Centre is situated at 70 Market Street, Phone (01334) 472-021. Taxi ranks are at the Bus Station on City Road and outside the Holy Trinity Church.

If arriving by car, watch out for St. Andrews town centre's peculiar "voucher parking system." To be able to park for up to 2 hours, you have to buy 80-pence vouchers from participating shops.

The open-top bus runs from May 25 to October 1 — starting point is in Church Street.

FOOD AND DRINK:
Russell Hotel (25 The Scores, near the Golf Course) Bar food and restaurant, serving Scottish and International dishes. T: (01334) 473-447. £ and ££
St. Andrews Golf Hotel (40 The Scores) Bistro food an à  la carte restaurant. T: (01334) 472-611. £ and ££
North Point Café (24 North St., near the castle, harbour and cathedral) Sandwiches and daily changing  specials. Extensive coffee menu. T: (01334) 850-004. £
La Posada (St. Mary's Place) Mexican restaurant. Magician on Wednesday evenings. T: (01334) 470-500. ££

SUGGESTED TOUR:
Numbers in parentheses correspond to numbers on the map.
CLICK ON THE MAP FOR A LARGE PRINTABLE VIEW.

Leave the Bus Ststion (1) and follow City Road and Golf Place to the Royal and Ancient Golf Club (2). In 1457 James II banned the game of golf because he feared men would stop practising archery and be unable to defend his kingdom, but thankfully this did not see the end of golf, just its beginning. The famous clubhouse is not open to visitors, and women guests are welcome only on St. Andrews Day. Luckily, if you do feel the urge to have a game there are five other courses in town, and plenty of golf shops that hire clubs to visitors.  Just opposite the Golf Club, you will  find the:

*BRITISH GOLF MUSEUM (3). Bruce Embankment, T: (01334) 460-046. Open Easter to mid-Oct., daily 9:30-5:30; mid-Oct. to Easter, Thurs.-Mon. 11-3.
The Golf Museum traces the history of British golf from the Middle Ages to the present day. You can discover how a golf ball is made as well as sharing the experiences of great players of the past.
Now walk easterly down The Scores until you reach the Castle Visitor Centre and:

ST. ANDREWS CASTLE (4), T: (01334) 477-196. Open April-Sept., daily 9:30-6; Oct.-March, daily 9:30-4.
The castle started life in 1200 as a bishop's palace, but before it turned into ruins it was used as a prison for religious reformers.
Though in ruins, the castle is quite fascinating and steeped in historical importance. Be sure to see the strange Bottle Dungeon, hollowed out of solid rocj, and the Kitchen Tower. Agile travellers may want to probe the Mine and Counter Mine, used in the 16th-century taking of the castle.

A path from here leads to the quaint little Harbour (5), one of the oldest in Scotland. Celtic Monks built the church of St. Mary on The Rock whose remains stand near the harbour.
Follow the map to the:

*ST. ANDREWS CATHEDRAL and ST. RULE'S TOWER (6), The Pends. T: (01334) 472-563. Open Spril-Sept., daily 9:30-6:30; Oct.-March, Mon.-Sat. 9:30-4:30, Sun. 2-4:30.
Though the cathedral is now in ruin, the remains still impress upon you the scale of what was once the largest cathedral in Scotland.
Close to the southeast angle stans the St. Rule's Tower. This 100-foot-high tower has survived intact and can still be climbed to this very day for a magnificent view of the town.

The route now leads past The Pends, a 14th-century vaulted gatehouse, to the priory precinct.  Just down South Street stands the handsome 16th-century Queen Mary's House, which according to tradition is open to the public every year on St. Andrews Day, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Continue around to St. Leonard's Chapel (7), built in 1512 for St. Leonard's College and now well restored. Visitors may look around the college, but by appointment only.

Retrace your steps and turn left on North Street. The first group of buildings on the left  is known as  Dean's Court,  dating from the 16th and 17th centuries and now used as a student residence. A few steps beyond is the small Preservation Trust Museum. The Trust has created a fascinating museum in an old fisherman's cottage near the cathedral. The ground floor concentrates on two old shops, a chemist and grocer's shop, dating from 1837.  Upstairs houses a changing series of exhibitions on a variety of subjects. 12 North St., T: (01334) 477-629. Open daily 2-5 during Easter, then from May-Sept. and on St. Andrews Week. Free, donations welcome.

The entrance arch to St. Salvator's College (8) is just down North Street. Go inside and examine this central part of the ancient university. The oldest structure, dating from 1450, is the Chapel.  Tours of the university are offered from early July to mid-Sept., at 10:30 and 2:30. They start at the porter's lodge in the quadrangle.

Now follow the map through Market Street with its interesting 19th-century fountain. The very narrow Logie's Lane leads to Church Square and then onto South Street, where across the way is Holy Trinity Church (9), founded in 1410 but considerably altered since. It was here that John Knox preached his first sermon in public. Surprisingly, there is an intricate monument to a Catholic archbishop who was brutally murdered nearby in 1679.

Continue down South Street, past the ruins of Blackfriars Chapel to the West Port (10). Dating from 1589, it is the only fortified gateway in Scotland to survive. Pass through it and turn right onto City Road. Then turn left at the mini-roundabout and follow the map along Double Dykes Road to St. Andrews Museum (11).  The museum is located in Kinburn Park and was built as a private residence in 1855 and named after a Crimean battle of the same year. Kinburn Castle became home to St. Andrews Museum in 1991 and is now owned and operated by Fife Council. The museum explores St. Andrews' heritage from medieval times right through the 20th century, and offers imaginative displays using interesting artifacts to tell the town's story through the ages. Along with a changing programme of temporary exhibitions on a wide variety of topics, the museum is host to lectures and childrens' activities. When you have finished absorbing all that information, you can pop into the museum's café for a light meal and a cup of coffee or tea. T: (01334) 412-690. Open April-Sept., daily 10-5; Oct.-March, Mon.-Fri. 10:30-4, Sat.-Sun. 12:30-5. Free.

Retrace your steps back along Double Dykes Road, turn left at the second roundabout, and this will bring you back to the bus station.

Copyright © 2004 Judith Frances Duddle. This chapter from Daytrips Scotland & Wales has been modified slightly to work better online, and has had color added. Ms. Duddle is a well-travelled author living in the Northwest of England.

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