Eating out in St Andrews is always a pleasure, catering for a surprising array of tastes and budgets.

Everything from takeaway fish and chips to award-winning seafood, cockaleekie soup to cranachan, Thai to Italian can all be found within a comfortable stroll of Abbotsford.

600 years 1413 – 2013. St Andrews University stands on the threshold of it’s seventh century, an historic moment for Scotland’s first University.

Founded before the printing press, before the battle of Agincourt, before the construction of the Forbidden City in Beijing, before the construction of Machu Picchu in Peru, before Columbus arrived in the Americas, and before Joan of Arc waged battle.

In May 1410 a group of masters, mainly graduates of Paris, initiated a school of higher studies in St Andrews. Ever since then international scholars have been coming to study, teachers to teach, and students to learn. Through the centuries many great minds have been attracted to St Andrews, including – poet William Dunbar MA 1479, Benjamin Franklin honorary Doctor of Laws 1759, Nobel Prize Winner in medicine James Black, James Gregory who designed the Gregorian telescope, Edward Jenner pioneer of the smallpox vaccine, Rudyard Kipling, John Stuart Mill, JM Barrie and John Napier the inventor of logarithms.

The original Byre Theatre was founded in 1933 by Alexander B Paterson, a local freelance journalist and prolific playwright.

In 2001 the current Byre Theatre opened to critical acclaim with the play “Into the Woods”. Sir Sean Connery remarked “The new Byre offers the UK an exciting performance space which professional touring companies would be foolish to overlook.”
www.byretheatre.com

The largest beach is the West Sands which runs alongside the Old Course. Kite surfing and dune surfing can be experienced and dogs can be walked at certain points.

The Castle Sands are tucked down below St Andrews Castle and are more sheltered than the West with the old seawater swimming pool and abundant rock pools.

The East Sands are safe for swimming and St Andrews sailing club operates from here. This is also a good place to join the coastal walk and continue round the East Neuk passing The Castle, Kingsbarns and Crail golf courses on the way.