Unseen St Andrews

There's far more to St Andrews than just golf. Come with us on a tour of the Auld Grey Toon and the nearby villages just along the coast...

- ROBIN BARWICK

AIthough it's called the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, its clubhouse only opened in 1854, and in the 'Auld Grey Toon', that is very much a new build.

Much of St Andrews is almost inconceivably old - older than Yoda. The Old Course goes back so far that they don't even know when golf on these pre-eminent links began. We know locals played on this rolling terrain in the 16th century, but some form of the game was probably played here long before that.

The history of St Andrews goes back even further, deep into the Middle Ages, and there is an extraordinary concentration of rich heritage to be found within the town's compact dimensions. The bygone spirits of St Andrews rise from the well-worn cobbles, sweep across the golf links carried on the sea breeze, and settle among the town pubs. You can't see them, but you can feel them round every corner.

The renowned St Andrews University dates back to 1413 for a start. Among the world's English-speaking universities, only Oxford and Cambridge pre-date it. The ruins of St Andrews Cathedral, which sit between the eastern end of the town and the North Sea, remain high and imposing and date all the way back to 1160.

It took 150 years to build the cathedral, and when it was finished, it was by far the largest place of worship in the whole of Scotland. When the cathedral was dedicated in 1318, Robert the Bruce, Scotland's king at the time, was in attendance. Around the corner are the 13th-century ruins of St Andrews Castle, which was the residence of the archbishops and bishops of St Andrews.