St Andrews Town
St Andrews is a legitimate visitor attraction in its own right. When we reinforce the ‘auld grey toon’ with some of Fife’s attractions, we have a decent portfolio
The town is an ancient seat of learning, with all the associated pleasing aesthetics that lend such places their unique character. The university now boasts Prince William and Kate amongst it’s most recent alumni. Outside of Oxford and Cambridge it is the third oldest university in the English speaking world. Half the population are students, which means it punches well above its weight, and the other half seem to be involved with golf.
St Andrews is compact. The central area falls under the protection of being a ‘conservation area’. This means that everything is close to everything else and from a visitors point of view. We can walk to just about anywhere we’d need to go within a few minutes.
St Andrews Castle
The ruins of St Andrews Castle are situated on a cliff-top to the north of the town. The castle was first erected around 1200 as the residence, prison, and fortress of the bishops of the diocese. Several reconstructions occurred in subsequent centuries, most notably due to damage incurred in the Wars of Scottish Independence.
The castle was occupied, besieged and stormed during The Rough Wooing and was severely damaged in the process.
The majority of the castle seen today dates to between 1549 and 1571, but fell into disrepair over the centuries until such time as it became the atmospheric ruin we now have
St Andrews Cathedral
The ruin of greater historical significance lies to the east of the town centre, St Andrew’s Cathedral. This was at one time Scotland’s largest building. St Rule’s Church, to the south-east of the medieval cathedral is said to date from around 1120 and 1150, being the predecessor of the cathedral. The tall square tower, part of the church, was built to hold the relics of St Andrew (Scotland’s patron saint). After the death of Bishop Robert Kennedy (not that one!), a new cathedral began to be built in 1160 by Bishop Arnold (his successor) on a site adjacent to St Rule’s Church. Work on the cathedral was finally completed and consecrated in 1318 by Bishop William de Lamberton with Robert ‘the Bruce’ present at the ceremony.
The Jigger Inn
It would be remiss not to name check this particular 19th hole.
It’s located close to the 17th fairway behind the Old Course hotel, looking out across the course with a beer garden that affords you a view which we’d struggle to match anywhere in golf.
Jigger Inn dates back to 1852 when it was the station master’s lodge for the old railway line and is a fond favourite with visitors who will usually make time to find their way to the 17th to force a drop of the good stuff down. Just about anyone who is anyone in golf will have had cause to visit the Jigger at some point
It’s perhaps worth noting as well that ‘the Dunvegan’ also has a following and being that bit nearer to town and with a bigger capacity is another watering hole
Falkland Palace
Falkland Palace & Garden are about 40 mins inland from St Andrews and provides us with a unique opportunity to explore a royal ‘pleasure palace’ with a Victorian twist.
Inspired by the grand châteaux of France, successive Stuart royals transformed this favoured retreat into the Balmoral of its day, now one of the finest surviving examples of Renaissance architecture in Scotland.
One of Falkland’s most famous royal residents – Mary, Queen of Scots – was enchanted with the palace, and took advantage of Falkland’s vast estate to pursue falconry and hunting, while also enjoying a game of tennis in what is now the oldest surviving real (or royal) tennis court in the world.
The palace is located on the high street of the village of Falkland, itself an atmospheric place of charm of character
The East Neuk of Fife
The picturesque fishing villages of the East Neuk (Crail, Anstruther, Pittenweem and St Monan’s) are atmospheric, with local histories, rather than being of national significance. They sit in a line along the coast about 20 mins from St Andrews and can usually combined with Kingsbarns or Dumbarnie
These villages are an integral part of the fabric of Fife and easily overlooked, but fishing has played an historically important role. We can easily help themselves to a gentle exploration of by village hopping along the coast.
Of the four, Crail with its quaint horseshoe harbour is the most visited and photographed. Anstruther has the renowned fish restaurant (that counts Hollywood ‘A-listers’ amongst its patrons – Robert de Niro and Tom Hanks). St Monan’s probably has the most interesting history, having been the site of a battle between English and Scottish soldiers. The English lost the battle of St Monans but won the wider war, which allowed them to remove the events of St Monans from the history books, so no one is 100% certain what happened there!
Contexts'
It won’t come as any surprise to learn that golf is well represented, be it equipment or clothing, but outside of this St Andrews is characterised by local shops of character rather than big chains (although it does have some of the usual high street names too)
We probably have to perform a few jumps in logic here to explain
- Golf = Money
- Money = Investment
St Andrews can punch above its weight in terms of the quality of the food it offers, and it needn’t be restricted to the town either. The Peat Inn, (about 8 miles inland) has been awarded Michelin stars.
The fish restaurants of the East Neuk are top class
On balance, the area is consider strong
St Andrews has two beaches, with perhaps the west sands being the better choice for a family, and certainly the more expansive of the two. The east sands are more of a cove down near the castle
Just by way of trivia, if you ever watch the opening sequence of the Oscar winning film ‘Chariots of Fire’, the slow motion shots of the athletes training were shot on the beach at St Andrews
It’s usually the case (though not a rule obviously!) that non-golfers will decline to self-drive. This means that in order to get anywhere without paying for a guided driver, we’ll often need to use a train
St Andrews doesn’t have a station. The nearest is at a place Leuchars (about 12 mins away). This sounds worse than it is, given that a 12 min drive to get to a station is pretty much what we likely face anywhere
The easiest and most convenient destination to reach from Leuchars by train would be Edinburgh (about 60 mins). Other destination such as Dundee are also easy but probably make less appeal.
Testimonial
From BB Canada
“I told Alun the courses I was interested in playing and he prepared a stay and play package with 14 days of outstanding golf, but also tremendous site seeing opportunities for my wife.”
From JC Illinois
“His attention to detail is amazing--I think our travel plan booklet ran to forty-eight pages, with gorgeous descriptions of cities and sights, plus maps showing where to go to catch trains, or walk from trains to hotels, sights and golf courses, etc.”
From DF Alabama
“I will cherish the memories for a long time- especially the wonderful times spent on and off the golf course with two of my brothers and brother-in-law. None of the memories and golf would have been possible or enjoyed without your tremendous planning and logistical support.”
AS from Colorado
“Alun and Faraway Fairways created possibly the most memorable golf trip we have ever experienced. EPIC is the only word that comes to mind.”
AC, From Florida/ New York, 2025
“We were hopeful to secure a 4 ball at St. Andrews while avoiding the massive expense other operators had quoted. He was very clear about the plan for achieving a tee time at the Old Course through the ballot, including detailed instruction on how it could be done, and what our odds were. He suggested mid- to late April as the best chance of success and advised that this is also the least rainy part of the year. We took his advice and trusted the process. Well, he was right on all counts!”
From SB, Minnesota
“We wholeheartedly recommend Alun and Faraway Fairways if you’re looking for a golf trip that is effortless, enjoyable, and truly unforgettable—even for a non-golfer in the mix! My husband and I will be daydreaming about this trip for years to come. 5.5 stars!”
From JB, California
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From JCA, Maryland
“I would and will highly recommend your company to anyone looking to plan an unforgettable golf trip. Thank You for putting together a fantastic trip for J.C. and me”
From WF Connecticut
“I think all eight of us would agree that Alun at Faraway Fairways did an absolutely wonderful job of putting this “golf vacation of a lifetime” together for us. His focus on the details was extraordinary from the choice of courses and the timing of the tee times, the amazingly beautiful accommodations along with some excellent meal selections, and the transportation options he provided to get us from place to place.”
From DR South Carolina
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From MM, California
“One fantastic trip you organized, and more importantly took ownership of in terms of daily communication and stewardship during our 2+ weeks in Scotland and Ireland. The logistics were spotless…100% of the transports were on time and excellent, the lodging choices spectacular and the golf was off the charts in terms of quality and arrangements made”
DH from California
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Enquiry
We don't need to make this an ordeal by 101 filtering questions! In reality there are probably little more than half a dozen things we need to know to build out a proposal. The guidance below might help you frame answers
Duration - usually best expressed as a range up to a maximum
Time of year - can be anything from a specific date range to a named season
Travel class - Faraway Fairways uses 'Luxury', 'Premier' or 'Affordable' for generic purposes. You might choose to reference the international 'star' rating system. We're only looking for something to help steer us into the right sector
Self drive or hired driver - In broad terms, self driving is normally less expensive, and much more flexible, but some folk just don't want to do it
Must play courses/ must do places - a few name checks is all that's needed