St. Andrews

St. Andrews is a small university town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland. The population is a little over 15,000, up to a third of which are students at the university. St. Andrews is named after Saint Andrew the Apostle. The town was first established in the 12^th century to the west of the cathedral, in turn established in 1158 on the site of a church dating back to the 9^th century. The cathedral fell into disuse after the Reformation (1560) and is now an impressive ruin maintained by Historic Scotland. Between 1560 and the 18^th century the town - no longer the ecclesiastical capital of Scotland - started to decline, despite already being known for the famous golf courses. The last two centuries have seen a significant reversal in the fortunes of the town, which is now thriving and famous for golf, education and tourism.

The University of St. Andrews

The University of St. Andrews is the oldest university in Scotland, dating back to 1410, with degrees awarded from 1413. Having initially started as a society for learned men in the fields of canon law, the arts and divinity, the university has expanded to cover a full range of academic subjects. It is now regarded as one of the best universities in the UK and teaches ~6700 undergraduate and ~1900 postgraduate students. Notable alumni include:

Landmarks

The impressive ruins of the cathedral lie to the east of the town centre. Only parts of the original cathedral remain (below left), with other parts reduced to the foundations by stone robbing for building between 1560 and the 18^th century. Adjacent to the cathedral is St. Rule's Church (below right), with a tall square tower built to hold the relics of St. Andrew around 1120.

To the north of the town, on the cliff-top lie the ruins of St. Andrews Castle (below left), built around 1200 as the home of the bishops and used as a palace, a prison and a fortress. The remains of the castle - now housing a visitor centre - date back to the mid-16^th century having been rebuilt by Archbishop John Hamilton in the renaissance style for use as a palace.

The town was once bounded by three 'gaits' to the North, South and East (now all gone) with wynds (narrow paths between roads) leading to the ports. West Port on South Street still survives (above right).

Weather

St. Andrews has a temperate maritime climate and is relatively mild despite being at the same latitude as Moscow and Newfoundland. Being on the coast, the daily weather can be unpredictable and changeable. September is often beautifully sunny and warm ... but it can be chilly, wet and windy. Gore-Tex is your friend! A weather forecast for St. Andrews can be found on the BBC weather website.

Recreation

St. Andrews is famous as the "home of golf". The game has been played here for over 500 years. There are at least six golf courses - Old, New, Jubilee, Eden, Strathtyrum and Balgrove - of which the Old Course (below) is the most famous. It is a regular venue for the Open Championship (the British Open or just The Open) and is being held there again in July 2010

Further information ...

• General information on St. Andrews
• The University of St. Andrews
• St. Andrews Links Trust - book a round of golf