The Beauty of St. Andrews

Though St. Andrews seemed small at first, I realized I couldn’t explore the entirety of the town in 5 weeks. As the weeks went by, I found myself still exploring and finding new places.These are just a small number of places I visited in St. Andrews. One of the first places I visited was the St. Andrews Castle and nearby pier. It was incredible walking through the ruins and trying to imagine how the castle used to be. When I went to the castle on a sunny day in Scotland, the ocean was the most beautiful shade of blue I had seen. The waters were so calm and relaxing. My friends and I spent that afternoon hanging out there with some music and food. 

 Another favorite place of mine in St. Andrews was St. Salvator’s Quad, which is where the classroom for the global seminar was. It was unreal attending class in a room that overlooks the quad. The quad is one of the oldest parts of the university. It is an iconic part of the university and I am so grateful that we were able to have class there. Our class even had some unforgettable discussions outside on the grass. 

Beyond the university, St. Andrews is known for being the home of golf! I had to visit the Swilcan Bridge, which is a famous stone bridge on the Old Course. The Old Course is only open to the public on Sundays and bustling with people trying to take pictures on this iconic bridge. However, I still think it was worth visiting this bridge and seeing The Old Course as well. There is also a place called Cockshaugh Park Walk. This place was a hidden gem. When you are walking along this park walk, you are surrounded by trees and trailing next to a creek. It was so peaceful and I even saw some people reading by the creek. It was so weird to step out of the nature park and back to the buildings of the town.

Many of the stores close early in St. Andrews, but there was still a lot to do. The sun did not set until it was around 10:30 PM each night. St. Andrews looks just as beautiful at night as during the day. Just walking along the coast with some friends at night was some of my favorite memories in St. Andrews.

Recommendations: 

• Visit St. Salvator’s Quadrangle 

• Walk Along the Pier 

• Eat lunch on the shore next St. Andrews Castle 

• Walk through Cockshaugh Park Walk (next to a creek) 

• Visit the famous Swilcan Bridge on the Old Course (on Sundays) 

• Get a “Green Machine” drink from NorthPoint Cafe !