St Andrews and
north-east Fife,
steeped in history,
have many newer
attractions to suit
every taste, reports
Lorn Macintyre
SPRINGTIME in St Andrews, and in the famous ice-cream parlours of
Luvians and Jannettas a score of flavours are being laid out in the
chilled counters. The fulmars are back on the great east window above
the 31 ruined altars of the medieval cathedral. In the shaded peace of
St Mary's College the crocuses are out. The visitors are coming.
In The Kingdom by the Sea, Paul Theroux called St Andrews ''one of the
most beautiful towns on the coast''. The quads and lawns of Scotland's
oldest university are at the heart of its appeal, but the town nearly
lost the gown. In the late seventeenth century it was proposed to
transfer the university to Perth because St Andrews had become ''only a
village, where most part farmers dwell, the whole streets are filled
with dunghills, which are exceedingly noisome . . . '' Even as late as
1827 St Andrews was being described as ''the ghost of a fine city''.
But within years the Victorians arrived, for sea bathing and some
golf. Hotels and boarding-houses were built. In the early 1890s St
Andrews University had fewer than 200 students, all male. Now there are
around 4000 of both sexes. The tourist trade benefits from their
presence, since student residences are let out to visitors at reasonable
rates throughout the summer. In the superb new hall at North Haugh the
facilities are en suite.
The castle on the sea's edge dates mainly from the sixteenth century,
though there was a much older one on the site. A tableau lets the
spectator feel the agony of the martyr George Wishart, burnt at the
stake for his beliefs.
The first written reference to golf at St Andrews came in 1457, the
date of James II of Scotland's ban; golf interfered with the practice of
archery, and so indirectly was seen as a threat to the nation's
defences.
Since then few arrows, but untold numbers of balls, have crossed the
Links, driven by amateurs as well as the elect. This is as hallowed
ground as the cathedral once was.
Now, to play the Old Course (#40, #50 after May 1) you need luck even
before you put on your golf shoes. You lodge names, clubs, and handicaps
for the 2pm draw, then phone after 4pm to see if you are successful. If
you aren't, there are five other 18-hole courses, costing between #14
and #25 to play from May 1. Youngsters can putt.
You never know whom you will encounter on holiday at St Andrews. One
summer I was walking past the 18th hole of the Old Course when I saw a
moustached man in white knickerbockers and two-tone golf shoes lying
painting on the turf. A passer-by informed me: ''That's LeRoy Neiman,
the most famous artist in America.''
I got into conversation with him. ''I came here to paint one of the
great scenes,'' he told me, pointing to the R & A Clubhouse with a long
cigar. ''That building's got the proportions of the White House.'' How
much did he expect to get for the painting? ''Well now, I've still to
put golfers in it, one at the first hole, another at the 18th. Balls
will be flying about. I'll get $125,000 for this one.''
St Andrews is famous for its eating houses. In College Street outside
Brambles, the affable white-aproned Paul is waiting to cook the fresh
fish that has got him into the food guides. The Vine Leaf Restaurant,
and Parklands Restaurant in Kinburn Castle Hotel, are worth ringing to
see if there is a table.
But you will have to get in touch with the Peat Inn outside St Andrews
even before your holiday begins to make sure that David Wilson, doyen of
Scottish chefs, has space to feed you his exquisite dishes.
Crail and Cellardyke are coastal villages of crow-stepped gables and
tiled roofs, to be visited with the camcorder and camera. Anstruther has
the Scottish Fisheries Museum, with its memorial room to Scots fishermen
lost at sea.
Craigtoun Country Park was laid out around Mount Melville House, the
former mansion of the Melville family. The Dutch village and boating
pond are a calming experience on a summer afternoon for querulous
children and tired parents.
No visit to St Andrews is complete without going to the Byre. This
small theatre was founded in a cowshed in the 1930s. The late A. B.
Paterson worked tirelessly to get it a new building and an international
reputation. The Crawford Centre in South Street is also a focus for the
arts.
St Andrews Tourist Office has a wide range of information on
accommodation, events, and places of interest in the town and north-east
Fife. Write to 70 Market Street, St Andrews, KY16 9NU, or telephone 0334
72021.
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