Explore St Andrews

Put on the map by the patron saint, this Scottish coastal town is at its best off-season

- Sarah Gillespie

In medieval times, the bones of St Andrew, patron saint of Scotland's Pictish people, were brought to a small, wind-worn town atop a sandstone plateau in Fife, on the country's east coast. These relics conferred such celebrity that a bishop took up residence, a great cathedral was commissioned and the town now known as St Andrews became the country's ecclesiastical capital.

Today, St Andrews' ruined, roofless cathedral yawns at the heavens, and parts of the town's medieval castle have tumbled into the sea. You might think this would dent St Andrews' appeal - quite the opposite. These skeletal remains give the town's coastline a spectral beauty that's best appreciated in winter, after the golfers that descend each summer have cleared out.

Another draw is that Fife's spirits industry once feared dead - has reawakened, with whisky and gin distilleries putting the region back on the map. The best place to try them is at a traditional pub or by a hotel fire, after a windswept walk between desolate beaches.

What's there to do?