Saint Andrews and the Fife Coast

Today, my friend from work Peter McLaren came to pick me up at my hotel and take me driving to the Fife Coast and St. Andrews.

The weather was absolute crap; cold and rainy.  But we had a good time anyway.

Anstruther fishing village

Anstruther fishing village

St Andrews is a former royal burgh on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, named after Saint Andrew the Apostle, whose bones are supposedly there. The town is home to the University of Saint Andrews which dates back to 1410. It is the third oldest university in the English speaking world, the oldest in Scotland and one of Britain's most prestigious.

Church in St. Andrews

Peter and me trying to get a good shot on the beach in the cold and the rain.
Second time is a charm; even with my pointy head.

Doing the "Chariots of Fire" thing.  Yes, this is the beach where it was filmed.

Little dachshunds on West Sands Beach. The two mile long beach is adjacent to the famous St Andrews Links golf course. Sand dunes on the beach, which have long protected the golf course, are themselves in danger of eroding away, and are the subject of a restoration project.

The lovely St. Andrews Golf Hotel.  Saint Andrews is known worldwide as the "home of golf," and is referenced as far back as 1552.   There are seven courses in total surrounding the western approaches of the town.

Martyrs’ Monument was erected in 1842 in memory of the Protestant reformers who had been executed in St Andrews some 300 years earlier, before and during the Scottish Reformation. Four of those who died have their names inscribed on this obelisk, which stands overlooking the sea on The Scores, just beyond the Old Course.

St Andrews Castle was the official residence of Scotland’s leading bishop (and later archbishop) throughout the Middle Ages. It also served as a prison. The castle's “bottle dungeon” is a dank and airless pit cut out of solid rock below the north-west tower where housed local miscreants. The principal remains are a portion of the south wall enclosing a square tower, the "bottle dungeon," the kitchen tower, and the underground mine and counter-mine The weather was beginning to clear, and I liked how the water appeared to glow.

St. Andrews Cathedral ruined Roman Catholic Cathedral. It was built in 1158 and became the center of the Medieval Catholic Church in Scotland as the seat of the Archdiocese of Saint Andrews and the Bishops and Archbishops of Saint Andrews. It fell into disuse and ruin during the 16th century Scottish Reformation, after which Catholic mass was outlawed. The ruins indicate that the building was approximately 391 feet (over 100 metres) long, and is the largest church to have been built in Scotland.

The sun was finally peeking out from behind the clouds casting a beautiful shadow of the ruins of the cathedral.

The tall square tower, part of the church, was built to hold the relics of St. Andrew and became known as the first cathedral in the town.

A beautiful rainbow forming over the ruins.

A lovely view of Saint Andrews and the castle ruins from on top of the tower.

The castle gate.

The center of the castle with the fire pit.

"She's a maniac, maniac on the floor...and she's dancin' like she's never danced before..."

It was getting dark, so time to head back to Edinburgh.  I still had a long night ahead with the New Year's Eve party.  I was exhausted and was looking forward to my hotel and a nice nap.