Scotland & England filter

April 6, 2006 9:50 AM

We are going to Scotland & England in August. We have some questions for locals.

1. Does anyone know of someone who would rent my husband and I a room in their house/flat in london for not too much cash? We don't smoke and would just be eating breakfasts and sleeping there.

2. Does anyone know of a person in St. Andrews who could babysit the kids of the people who are bringing them (we are not but others we are meeting there are. Silly people.) Or a service that can set this type of thing up?

3. We have a cheap place in St. Andrews to stay, but still plan on spending a night or two elsewhere. Are there any cool castles to stay in or unique things like that?

4. What are really cool castles and museums and churches to see...within 2-3 hours of St. Andrews?

posted by aacheson to Travel & Transportation (13 answers total)

There is a castle in St Andrews. It's a ruin on the beach and is fairly spectacular, although I've only seen it from a distance, never visited.

If you want to travel 2-3 hours then you have a lot of castles at your disposal.

Blackness Castle - very nice 15th century castle, in a beautiful location. Not a major tourist spot and a lovely place for a long walk or a picnic. Not too far from St. Andrews and I'd recommend it.

If you want to go North and make a real trip out of it then Dunnottar Castle (nr Aberdeen) is one of the most spectacular castles you are ever likely to visit. Would be a good 2-3 hour journey, but it really is a stunning place.

The two major castles in Scotland are Edinburgh Castle and Stirling Castle. You can find plenty about them on the net. You can combine a trip to Edinburgh Castle with a look around Edinburgh, and Stirling also has the Wallace Monument. Both have their own museums, plenty to learn about, and extra events such as re-enactments, guided tours etc. Both are very busy in the summer. As well as the castles both Edinburgh and Stirling have "old towns" with many other old buildings of importance, sites of interest and museums, so you can make a day of it at each if you like.

Browsing the Historic Scotland website will give you plenty of ideas. Here is a list of sites near St Andrews.
posted by fire&wings at 10:22 AM on April 6, 2006 [1 favorite]

Also - if you want to stay in a castle/historic property these are the people to speak to. The castle page.
posted by fire&wings at 10:29 AM on April 6, 2006

I've been in that St. Andrews castle, there was a weird underground tunnel. It smelled like urine.

I used to live in Dumfries, it was beautiful and a nearby castle called Caerlaverock had a moat and a nature trail. It's kinda far from St. Andrews, maybe 2 hours or more, but you might pass it on the way to or from England.
posted by cloeburner at 11:46 AM on April 6, 2006

St Andrews (ruined) cathedral is a bit more spectacular than the castle. You can wander round the cathedral for free, or you can pay £6 to get into both the castle and St Rule's tower, which is inside the cathedral. The tower gives you a good view of St Andrews (on a good day). Castle-wise, Edinburgh's is pretty good, and Edinburgh has got lots of other good things to do/see.
posted by matthewr at 12:02 PM on April 6, 2006

I'm not a local, but I was married in Scotland and I have spent a lot of time there, so I hope you don't mind my two cents.

It's two hours away from St. Andrews, but if you are going to be around Edinburgh on your trip, you owe it to yourself to check out Rosslyn Chapel. It's basically a Templar chapel that is one big puzzle-box. It's an incredible place...

A bit touristy maybe, but well worth it.
posted by WinnipegDragon at 12:14 PM on April 6, 2006

I spent my childhood in Broughty Ferry -- just across the Tay River from St. Andrews. We visited castles most every weekend.

I second Stirling Castle and Edinburgh Castle. You'll enjoy the Royal Mile, as well as the Palace of Hollyroodhouse. I would recommend visiting Balmoral Castle (in Aberdeenshire), however the castle grounds and gardens are closed to the public in July and August due to the fact that it's the summer residence of the royal family.

BTW -- the Edinburgh Festival Fringe takes place from August 6 - 28. Lots of fun!
posted by ericb at 1:15 PM on April 6, 2006

Also -- in addition to the comprehensive Historic Scotland website which fire&wings points out -- here's one with an alphabetic list of Scottish castles.
posted by ericb at 1:20 PM on April 6, 2006

Glamis Castle is a couple of hours north and hosts a vintage vehicle festival in August.
posted by the cuban at 2:00 PM on April 6, 2006

In St. Andrews, make sure to grab dinner at The Grange. Get reservations in advance. It's really fantastic.

Take a drive out to the St. Andrews Bay Hotel and have a walk around. The pro shop and club has an absolutely magnificent view, and a good selection of food in a casual atmosphere.

I'm a Bostonian, but I lived in St. Andrews for a while for work in 2004. Drop me an email if you have any questions...
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 2:23 PM on April 6, 2006

Forgot to mention -- if you head to Edinburgh, be sure to see the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Also, the Edinburgh International Book Festival is August 12 - 28.

During the summer months there are numerous piping festivals -- such as the Piping Live! in Glasgow (August 7 - 13) and celtic/folk music festivals
posted by ericb at 2:23 PM on April 6, 2006

aacheson, Scotland's small -- most of it's within 2-3 hours of St Andrews.

The following places might not all have spectacular churches or castles, but are way nifty: the East Neuk, Culross, Perth, and of course, Glasgow.
posted by scruss at 4:32 PM on April 6, 2006

Mind the bird flu, now.
posted by matthewr at 6:33 PM on April 6, 2006

3rd for Stirling Castle. I liked it better than Edinburgh Castle, which was too cluttered with tourists.
posted by Goofyy at 5:32 AM on April 7, 2006