Friday, September 28, 2012

St. Andrew's, Scotland

When we mentioned to our friends and family that we were headed to Scotland, we kept hearing that we had to add a visit to St. Andrew's on the itinerary. I'm so glad we listened.

St. Andrew's is closely synonymous with golf thanks to The (British) Open


Originally, the Swilcan Bridge was used by herders to move livestock over the small creek (pre-golf era). In 2010 Tom Watson made this bridge famous by bending down and giving it a kiss as he crossed over to the last hole in his presumed last play of the Old Course at St. Andrew's.


While the course at St. Andrew's is beautiful, the town is really neat in and of itself. There is the University of St. Andrew's (where William and Kate met!), the St. Andrew's Castle (well, the ruins, that is), and check out the ruins of St. Andrew's Cathedral.


 The town is located right on the North Sea, so the views are magnificent.


 As far as food, the town is pretty much your classic Fish 'n Chipper.  Many photographs of famous golfers can be found at The Dunvegan Hotel, mostly due to its proximity to the course. Notice the sign below "spikes welcome". We can't help but love the Taylor Walker pubs found all over the U.K., so we planted ourselves at Central for some hot drinks and British fare..