It’s the idyllic backdrop for a prince to meet his princess, with its craggy cliffs, ramshackle castle and sandy coastlines for dreamy promenades. St Andrews might just top the list of towns most likely to be straight out of a teen fan fiction. This uncanny genre necessitates elements like romance, history, and most importantly magic permeating through all of the above. I see these elements bedazzling this old Scottish town in the most magical way, feeling lucky to be spellbound by its sorcery. Even the best description of its enchantment in words wouldn’t do it justice. Nevertheless, I have tried to jot down some of its essentials that make it so!
Having been settled for over a thousand years, the stories that St Andrews holds are powerful, mystical and, as we know, attract royalty. Would it be easy to name another town that has been around for almost a millennium, has a university with ancient traditions, the oldest golf courses, a strangely large North American student population, a small fishing harbour and ruins of a gothic cathedral? It doesn’t seem that common to me. A context like this may only exist in our dreams, the fantasy ones that we have after watching a fairy tale movie, or finishing a fantasy fiction novel series.
Growing up, whether by coincidence or not, St Andrews was romanticised in the books I read, and in some movies that I loved. The clear memory of being ten and never being seen without an Enid Blyton book reminds me why I had my eyes and heart set on going to university in St Andrews. My favourite reads were the books from the series of Malory Towers, in which the protagonist goes to St Andrews after graduating from an English boarding school. Darrell and her friends were thrilled to study in St Andrews and I dreamt of doing the same. In the movies from the series To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, an American sister goes out of her way to study in this remote Scottish institution after breaking up with her long-term high school boyfriend and tells her younger sister how she found true love in this town. St Andrews is distanced from the realities of the world in these depictions, thereby proving the fantasy that it is in my head.
Increasingly, bloggers like Culture Trip are referring to St Andrews as the university closest to Hogwarts, holding ‘magic’ draped in its traditions and age-old rituals. That being so, there’s much to elaborate!
Best picnic locations and snacking spots
St Andrews tempts us to spend more and more time in the great outdoors. With three beautiful beaches, a bewitching pier and pristine university quads, it’s the perfect town for a picturesque little picnic. The town is spotted with the cutest places for snacking, out of which The Cheesy Toast Shack and Janettas Gelateria are my go-to places on a sunny beach day.
The award-winning fish
On a cold and windy Saturday, after a long day at the library, fish and chips from Cromars is undoubtedly the best comfort food. Cromars was voted the best for fish and chips in Scotland in the National Fish and Chip Awards in 2016 and once again in 2018. If you are a fan of fish and chips, don’t wait because your life might just be about to change!
The golfing, spa and afternoon tea
The Old Course, also called the old lady, is the oldest golf course in the world and attracts golf fans from all around the world, all year around. But for those who aren’t into golf, the magnificent Old Course Hotel might just be what they need. The lavish spa packages, hot baths and Chinese massages at the Kohler Water Spa are unquestionably worth it. Moreover, the best way to finish a spa day is to head to the Old Course Conservatory for afternoon tea and some delicious pastries.
Heaven for gin beer and whiskey lovers
Did you know that St Andrews has one of the highest ratios of pubs to people in the country, and with over 30 pubs and bars for a population of 18,000? Students love to go to the popular ones like The Saint, The Rule, The Vic and The Adamson.
History and culture
St Andrews castle is kind of a big deal, having served as a bishop’s palace, a state prison, and also a fortress during its 450-year history. The town boasts Scotland’s largest-ever cathedral with a tower that was a signal for pilgrims in search of St Andrew’s relics back in the day; the stories it lived through definitely make it deserving of attention. The museum of the University of St Andrews takes you deep into the Scottish heritage, and for me, it certainly reinforced passionate college spirit.
By going to St Andrews, I am proudly living my childhood fantasy in the most fairy-tale-like way possible. I’m sure that if I take out a Malory Towers book today, or a fantasy fiction, I would feel as though I am living inside it, experiencing the magic and awaiting my happily ever after, in an interestingly odd and peculiar coastal town called St Andrews, far away in Scotland.