to you, I am
a guide to St Andrews

I visited this Scottish coastal town (not a city!) at least once every year between 2022 and 2026, travelling from Dundee on Stagecoach bus 99. This is a lovely place for a day trip (or even half a day!), especially when the weather is good. Very medieval, it has great bookshops, several museums and delicious food! A great addition to my exploration of the UK (and, hopefully, yours, too!)

• Tailend — classic fish and chips or an Arbroath smokie [Wikipedia]
• Jannettas Gelateria — ice cream and sorbets out of local berries (Fife raspberry, Fife raspberry, Tayberry) or elderflower sorbet (which is a "symbol of Scotland" for me); great hot chocolate with a piece of Scottish tablet
• The Cheesy Toast Shack — cheese toasties, obviously (never visited the place, but heard good reviews)

I believe most of the history you could be interested in is covered in a 20-minute video by the University of St Andrews called "The Path to the Pier: A Walk Through History".

• St Andrews Castle — visit for free with a Historic Scotland membership (I might have a 20% discount code, if you want to get it), have a look at the siege tunnel and bottle dungeon, check out good quality souvenirs. The front wall windows are a nice spot to pose for a picture, if someone standing before the entrance bridge can take a photo of you! Also, this is where the St Andrews University Celtic Society holds an annual Castle Ceilidh [2013 YouTube video] [2023 YouTube video]
• Castle Sands — to look at people swimming when it's super cold outside
• St Andrews Cathedral — to compare the ruins with the Glasgow Cathedral
• University of St Andrews — use the entrance through St Salvator's Chapel to look at the oldest University in Scotland (and the 3rd oldest in the English-speaking world!)
• St Andrews Pier — for the great views. This is the place where the University students have torchlight processions and "Pier Walks" [2025 YouTube video] [2024 YouTube video]
• West Sands Beach — haven't visited myself, but was told it's quite nice. It's a home for one of the Wild Scottish Saunas, which I would love to visit one day!