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Sites to visit around St. Andrews?

I am going to Scotland with my son for 10 days in July. After two days in Edinburgh, we will drive St. Andrews for five nights and another one in Carnoustie for 3-4 rounds of golf. My wife will join us on Day 4 by train after visiting Edinburgh for two days. We have included an open day in between each round of golf to rest and explore the area. I am interested in any suggestions you may have for things to see and do outside of St. Andrews that are unrelated to golf, i.e. churches, castles, historic sites, etc.. We will have a car and I've allotted the whole day to devote to this activity, so probably anything within an hour or two from SA may work. Thank you.

Jim

Posted by
1694 posts

Initial thoughts are

Castles, palaces, and other equivalents: Loch Leven and Loch Leven Castle, Falkland Palace, Arbroath Abbey, Scone Palace, Glamis Castle.
Glamis could be most interesting given its role in MacBeth, in Scottish history, and being one of the most haunted sites in Scotland.

Museums: The Discovery Centre, and the V&A. Both in Dundee, and both next to each other in Dundee.

Cities: Dundee, Perth.

Posted by
7206 posts

Dunnottar castle is 1.25 hours from St. Andrews and a good way to spend some time. We enjoyed Glamis castle more than Scone Palace.

Posted by
4166 posts

Since I am interested in anything that relates to ships , and have long been fascinated by polar exploration , the one makes a very good excuse for the other . The Discovery is at the top of my list for my upcoming trip to the UK this coming Autumn .

Posted by
8134 posts

There are joint Discovery Point/Verdant Works tickets, valid for 12 months, which save £5 over the individual prices.

Posted by
571 posts

Thank you all. How far north can I go on a day trip. I've heard it gets dark very late in July.

Posted by
3135 posts

Big Jim, if there are any non-golfers in your group, they could play a round at the easy Himalayas Golf Course, and then honestly claim they played St. Andrews. 9 holes in 30 minutes. I'll be there in July. Look for the confused-looking guy in a faded blue ball cap.

Posted by
4166 posts

You can explore the fishing villages of The East Neuk - Anstruther ( pronounced " Enster ) , Crail , Pittenweem , and St Monans ,

Posted by
1476 posts

Hi, Jim,

Much depends on when in July you're going to be in the St. Andrews area. It gets dark a bit earlier than it would in, say, Durness or Stornoway. However, in mid-July, sunset would be around 9:45. There is a period of gloaming (dusk) for about 45 minutes to an hour afterward, so you should have no trouble visiting outdoor sites much later than you would normally be used to.

Enjoy the daylight!

Mike (Auchterless)