St. Andrews

So now we're down to five -- David & Teri, Wendy, and Mona and me.  We've been driving our nine-passenger VW Transporter van all over Scotland packed with nine people and luggage.  Now with only five, it seems so roomy.  We've driven three hours southeast from Inverness and have arrived in the early afternoon to a gloriously sunny day.  It's at least 70 degrees and is the first day I could have worn shorts had I brought them.

We dropped our stuff off at the hotel, parked the van, and left to explore the town.  St. Andrews is known the world over for the Old Course -- the Royal and Ancient Golf Club -- where the game of golf first started.   It also has a great University (Prince William is a graduate) and ruins of a grand cathedral and castle.   We walked the main streets towards the cathedral ruins and felt a slightly different vibe.  To me, it seemed a little more laid back but still with all of the great architecture, cobblestoned lanes, etc.  Edinburgh felt a little more formal.

I wish I could have seen the cathedral in it's glory.  You can tell from the ruins and footprint that it was massive.  In its day, it was the largest in the United Kingdom.  The cathedral sits at the top of hill overlooking the North Sea.  We were able to stroll the grounds and cemetery and imagine what this site looked like a few centuries ago.

For me, the highlight was visiting the Old Course.  Although I wasn't able to play the course, it was awesome to see in person what I had seen so many times on TV watching the British Open.  The area surrounding the course is a public park and lots of folks were out strolling and watching the golf taking place.  Mona and I walked along the first and second holes and then cut across to 17 and 18.  Hole 17 is known as the Road Hole as it plays along a narrow road and you are hitting a blind tee shot over a building.   There is a small bridge on the 18th hole know as the Swilken Bridge that crosses the Swilken Burn that runs between Holes 1 and 18.

We were blessed with a nice sunny day and it was fun to watch the golfers finish the 18th hole, for many of whom I'm sure was a dream come true to play this course.  We all agreed we could spend a lot more time in St. Andrews than just the one day we had.  I'll just have to come back and bring my clubs next time.