St Andrews

The town takes its name from Andrew the Apostle, several of whose relics were held by its cathedral; its Gaelic name is Cill Rìmhinn. A burgh was laid out west of the cathedral precinct under a charter of 1170, and the great cathedral begun in 1160, the largest in Scotland, made St Andrews the most important centre of pilgrimage in medieval Scotland and one of the most important in Europe. The University of St Andrews, the oldest in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world, was founded in the early 15th century.

In the 16th century the town was at the centre of religious turbulence. Protestant preachers were burned as heretics, a cardinal was killed in revenge, John Knox preached here, and the cathedral and the bishops' castle were wrecked; St Andrews declined after the Reformation, and around 1697 the university even considered moving to Perth.

In the 18th century the town was still in decline, but its links were becoming known to golfers. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club was founded in 1754 and until 2004 exercised authority over the rules of the game in most of the world, and the town acquired the Old Course in 1894. Today St Andrews lives from education, golf, tourism and conferences.

Golf defines the town's image abroad. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club exercised authority over the rules of the game worldwide, except in the United States and Mexico, until 2004, and the Old Course has hosted the Open Championship more often than any other venue. In tournament weeks the town is mobbed, and golfers come all year to play its links.

The university shapes everyday life just as much. It was ranked the best university in the UK by the 2022 Good University Guide, and students make up a large share of the town. Its colleges, quadrangles and chapels sit among the old streets, and its traditions — gowns, ceremonies and student customs — give the town the feel of a small collegiate city.

The town also carries the weight of Scottish religious history, from the medieval pilgrimage to the relics of St Andrew to the violence of the Reformation, and its ruins are its main monuments. The beaches play their own part: West Sands was used for the opening scene of Chariots of Fire.

St Andrews had a population of about 16,500 in the 2022 census, making it Fife's fourth-largest settlement. The town grew from about 14,200 people in 2001 to about 16,800 in 2012 before falling slightly. The population is unusually young: people aged 16 to 29 form the largest group, at 37 per cent, because of the university.

The town's economy rests on education, golf, tourism and conferences, with the university by far the largest presence. The academic year sets the rhythm: term time brings crowded streets, busy pubs and late-night queues at the chip shops, while the summer holidays bring golfers and tourists instead. The median age of residents is far below the Scottish average.

Daily life is that of a small, prosperous Scottish town. Residents shop on Market Street and South Street, walk on the beaches, and travel to Dundee, about 10 miles to the north, for larger shops and services; buses to Leuchars connect with trains to Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

Food in St Andrews follows the rhythms of a student and golfing town. The fish and chip shops serve fish suppers and, for a late-night filler after the pubs, chips and cheese, while the cafés and bakeries of Market Street and South Street feed the students during the day, and the town's ice cream shops are busy whenever the weather allows. One acclaimed local bakery is best known for its fudge doughnuts.

The Fife coast supplies much of what is eaten here. Crail, to the south, has long fished mainly for shellfish, Anstruther has several fish and chip shops, and seafood restaurants stand on the Scores and by the golf museum. South Street also has a specialist cheese shop.

Drinking is centred on the pubs of the old town, many of them full of students in term time and golfers in summer. Outside the town, Kingsbarns Distillery and Eden Mill Distillery both produce whisky and gin.