Studying in St Andrews

So, you’ve taken the plunge into studying in St Andrews. Your head is already buried in books and you are stressed to the max!

University is a big commitment but that doesn’t mean you can’t take time out for yourself. What is a better way to take a break from studying than exploring the delights that St Andrews has to offer?

Yes, it might be cold most of the year round, it is the UK! Although the coastal views are amazing and something you won’t want to miss! And is there a more enjoyable way to spend time on the beach than to get involved in some water sports?

Water Sports

For the adrenalin junkies amongst you who want to get out and about, St Andrews is the perfect place to go exploring.

St Andrews is a growing haven for beach and water sports, from traditional surfing to modern sports such as kitesurfing, land yachting, kite buggying and traction kiting. For the uninitiated, kitesurfing is an action sport combining aspects of wakeboarding, snowboarding, windsurfing, surfing, paragliding, skateboarding and sailing in one extreme fusion – and you can do it all on West Sands Beach

The Home of Golf

If you want the scenery but something a little less physical, golf maybe for you. St Andrews is renowned for its golf and houses on of the most famous sporting venues –  St Andrews Links.  And let’s face it, going to Scotland and not playing golf is unheard of!

The course is widely regarded as the ‘Home of Golf’ and has a decorated 600 years of history just waiting to be explored. With a number of competitively-priced courses on the links, you’ll be hard-pushed to find a better place to hone your back swing.

A Taste of Italy

After working up an appetite, Jannettas Gelateria has to be worth a visit. Specialising in ice cream and a varied café menu including artisan breads, home-made coleslaw and hot open sandwiches, it really presents an enviable opportunity to get a taste of Italy. For four generations, since Bennett Jannetta left the small village of Atina near Cassino, it has been producing its much-loved premium Gelato in St Andrews.

Roam Around The Ruins

If medieval buildings and British history is your thing, you may enjoy a visit to St Andrews Castle. A ruin that was the subject of several battles between the Scots and their English counterparts, it has been a bishop’s palace, a fortress, and a state prison during its 450-year life.

You can even get a realistic feel for how siege warfare would have panned out by visiting the castle’s underground mine and countermine.

Stunning Cathedral Views

Similarly, a trip to the historic St Andrews Cathedral is a must. For those pining a study break or simply seeking inspiration. A highly prominent building still to this day, the cathedral is even visible from the sea.

There’s plenty to see and plenty to do including learning how the cathedral dominated Scottish religion until 1560 as the headquarters of the medieval Scottish Church. Visitors can also discover how worshippers used the site since at least the 700s, when St Andrews relics are said to have been brought there.

And as well as getting up close to the imposing enclosure walls, you can climb to the top of the 33-metre-tall St Rule’s Tower for spectacular views across St Andrews and Fife.