Early indications suggest that St. Andrews, which is more accustomed to golfers than general tourists, could become the next must-see destination for both Brits and travellers from abroad after the royal wedding.
Previously it seemed that St. Andrews wasn’t really included in all the royal wedding hype that surrounded Prince William and Kate Windsor (formerly Middleton), but for those wanting to get the true picture of what might be one of the great royal romances, they really need to travel to where it all began.
According to a recent TripAdvisor poll on the best places to visit in Britain, the small town of St. Andrews has slipped in at number 9, just below some of the really big tourist destinations such as London, Oxford and Bath.
What can you find to do in St. Andrews?
St. Andrews University might be the focal point of many visitor, but there is little news currently on whether the university will be taking advantage of this with royal tours or similar. We suspect given a little encouragement, even an institution as old as this might secume to some royal fever.
St. Andrews golf course was until recently the most famous institution in the town, being the declared “home of golf”.
Generally it is accepted that golf started on the sandy beaches of St. Andrews bay around 1400AD and progressed to what is now referred to as the “old course” which is actually made up of common land so anyone can play on it. One stipulation is that the course is closed almost every Sunday to let people walk on it.
St. Andrews Cathedral was built around 1160, but was destroyed by a mob during the Reformation. This is rather a pity as the cathedral was described as one of the greatest in Scotland, but the standing walls still give a clue as to its grandeur.
West Sands beach was the iconic beach from the opening scenes of oscar winning film Chariots of Fire. Possibly also where golf started, the wide open beach has a gentle slope to the sea making it popular for sandcastles and of course the odd job if you’re feeling enthusiastic.
Scotland’s Secret Bunker managed to remain just that – secret for over 40 years. Built beneath traditional looking farmhouses, the bunker is accessed from a 150 foot long tunnel and comprises of 24,000 square feet of accommodation.
If Britain had gone to nuclear war against Russia, this is where most of Scotland would have been governed from, although exactly what they’d have governed is a bit of a mystery. Today it is open to the public as a visitor attraction.
Even more in St. Andrews: That is just a glimpse of what this town has to offer. For a more complete list of St. Andrews visitor attractions, click here.
In case you thought that students of the third oldest university in the English speaking world (after Cambridge and Oxford colleges) would be stuffy and very formal in their approach to the wedding – well going by this video it seems perhaps not quite (it gets livelier after the first 10 seconds or so)…
More St. Andrews Resources:
Hotels in St. Andrews, Scotland
Holiday cottages around St. Andrews
