Attractions in St Andrews

In modern times the tourists come to see the magnificent legacy left by the Culdees, by the Archbishops, by the Kings and Queens and by the town planners such as Playfair.

They come to see the gracious old buildings, quadrangles and chapels of Scotland's oldest university.

They also come because St Andrews is the Home of Golf with famous and challenging courses for people to play on, ranging from the celebrated Old Course to the most recent Duke's Course.

st andrews Gardens

The Original Botanic Garden was founded by the University of St. Andrews in 1889 in the precincts of St. Mary's College by a group of enthusiasts led by Dr John Wilson. The original garden was about 0.1ha (0.25 acres) in size and consisted of 78 regularly-shaped beds laid out according to the Bentham and Hooker plant classification. By 1960 the garden covered 2.8ha (7.8 acres). In addition, plants were grown in a variety of soil and climatic conditions in other parts of the University.

The Present Botanic Garden of 7.5ha (18.5 acres) was created from two fields in the early 1960s to cater for expansion of the collection and release the town centre lands for other purposes. In 1987, the Garden was leased to the Local Authority, then N E Fife District Council, now Fife Council which has been responsible for management ever since. The Hon. Curator is Bob Mitchell (formerly Curator) who, together with Jim Mackie, the present Head Gardener, has designed and developed the Garden since 1962.

Worldwide contact with other specialist gardens is maintained, for example, through seed exchanges. The Garden is recognised and registered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, and botanical and horticultural research is carried out there.

st andrews Cathedral

Entry to the cathedral grounds is free, though access to the visitors' museum and St. Rule's Tower requires a fee or membership in Historic Scotland. The visitors' centre houses the famous St. Andrews Sarcophagus, perhaps the finest example of Pictish carving in existence.

Today the cathedral grounds are an interesting and peaceful envi ronment in which to contemplate the events of the last millenium. Grave stones of many prominent local people, statesmen, clerics and golfers are to be found there. There is also a haunted tower in which it is alleged the "White Lady of St. Andrews" was buried.

Secret bunker

Only a ten minute drive from St Andrews, hidden beneath a Scottish farmhouse, a tunnel leads to Scotland’s secret bunker. 24,000 square feet of secret accommodation on two levels, 100 feet underground. This was where the government and military commanders would have run the country should we have been attacked during the cold war. A fascinating day out for old and young alike.