Let there be light

Fife holiday 2026 #20

Whilst wandering the streets of St Andrews, I was delighted to come across a shop that still had its original Victorian cast iron and glass pavement lights, intended to allow a certain amount of light into the basement below. There used to be some in Saltaire but I think they have all been removed. The glass and iron deteriorates over time (those shown have been repaired with wood in places). I do like them. They usually look dusty and dull in situ but a bit of processing trickery lifts the colours. 

 

Ahoy there!

Fife holiday 2026 #19

It seems that on the East Neuk of Fife coast, the trendiest thing to place in your window is a model sailing boat. There were lots of them. I decided they would make a nice subject for a small photo project. There were also a few on date stones or above doors, so I included one of those. 

Seeing the sea

Fife holiday 2026 #18

I could have spent an entire day just gazing at the sea! It's an environment in which I'm only able to spend  time infrequently, and it's an enticing one, I think, because it changes all the time. When I was able to sit and stare I tried hard to really see it and understand what aspects were attracting my attention. (Maybe it's simply because it's mainly blue... my favourite colour! 😂 ) I enjoyed making photos of it. 

Fife doors

Fife holiday 2026 #17

I enjoy creating mini projects as well as narrative photos when I'm on holiday. For some reason I'm always drawn to doors - perhaps because they're both familiar and strangely comforting, whilst also being portals to the unknown. There's generally a wide variety to be spotted, some more cared for than others. So here are six Fife doors! 🤣🤣

Top left, in Crail, had a sign saying 'Bellringer Cottage'. signifying what the original owner's role was. Their house looked directly out to sea towards the Isle of May. If a ship was in distress or shipwrecked, they would ring a bell loudly so the whole village would come and help. These small fishing villages were tight knit communities and their lives depended on it.

Top middle, also in Crail, had a date stone of 1632. It's a listed building but I can't find out much more about it. 

Top right, Downie's Terrace in Crail, built in 1878 by a local farmer specifically to accommodate Victorian summer visitors. 

Bottom left, also in Crail, has a carved relief of a sailing boat above the doorway and some fine stained glass in the door. 

Bottom middle, a cottage called The Sporran in Crail. A sporran, of course, is the traditional leather and fur pouch worn in front of a kilt (since a kilt has no pockets). 

Bottom right, an ornate stone doorway somewhere in Anstruther, with a date stone of 1718. 

Lastly, below, a rather lovely wood carving above a door, said to be St Adrian. St Adrian of May, whose legacy is deeply tied to Crail and the East Neuk of Fife, was reputedly killed by invading Vikings in AD 875. His namesake chapel ruins are located on the Isle of May, while coastal caves linked to him sit just outside Crail along the Fife Coastal Path.

Scottish smiles

Fife holiday 2026 #16

There were many times on our holiday when I had to stop and smile. We were just passing a rather grimy window when this cat popped his head through the blinds - boo! Judging by the rather mangled blinds, it seems it's a regular trick of his. 

Meanwhile in Kirkcaldy we spotted a Wemyss Ware cat. Wemyss Ware was a famous Kirkcaldy pottery, opened in 1882, that made (among other things) decorative cats. They are being celebrated by a sculpture trial around the town. 

For some reason the sign below amused me. I never think of harbours as having gates - and it also reminded me of that famous 'Sun' headline from the 1992 General Election: 'Will the last person to leave Britain please turn out the lights'.

The 'Beach Library' was, I thought, a genius idea: lots of sand toys to borrow. We have little free book libraries round here but I'd never seen a beach library before. 

I noticed quite a few food-related things. There's an ongoing joke that haggis are small, elusive animals that live in the Highlands. Because of the steep terrain, they supposedly have two shorter legs on one side so they can only run around the mountains in one direction. If a hunter wants to catch one, they simply wait for it to stop and try to turn around. Because it can only run in one direction, it gets confused and tumbles right down the mountain.

Scotland's pride in having a team in the football World Cup was plain for all to see. 'No Scotland, no party'! 

And tattie soup (sometimes with neeps) - potatoes and turnips. 

St Andrews' hotels have long welcomed golfers and this well-polished brass sign assures them they don't even have to take off their shoes. 

We first met Oor Wullie, a famous Scottish cartoon character, in Edinburgh last year, if you remember. In St Andrews, in a sculpture by Matt Low, he wears the red undergraduate gown and a crown... perhaps representing a famous former student of the university called William... 

And finally, a stone on a building called a Mort-house in Crail churchyard: 'Erected for Securing the Dead', with a date of 1826. These buildings were necessary because of the widespread practice of grave-robbing, where newly-deceased bodies were dug up and sold to anatomists for study. The bodies were stored securely until they had decomposed enough to be of no use for research. 

Our last evening

Fife holiday 2026 #15

So we came to our last evening on the Fife coast - fitter, perhaps fatter (good food and plenty of coffee and cake!) and I think all of us very happy with our holiday and the lovely group we were privileged to share it with. We enjoyed dinner together in the Golf Hotel in Crail and then most of us went for a final walk around the village.

We were intrigued by the beam of sunshine finding its way through a hole in the cloud. It neatly illuminated some of the wind turbines out in the Firth of Forth. As we watched, we were suddenly treated to a fleeting burst of rainbow colours - though you couldn't really call it a rainbow and it didn't seem to have the full spectrum of colours. I've never seen this phenomenon before and I'm not sure if it has a proper title. It was really beautiful and exciting to see. 

It was a final, ephemeral gift from the Scottish coast that had provided us with a wonderful and memorable holiday - and perhaps a blessing for us too. 

Many, many thanks to all my fellow travellers, who were truly wonderful, each in their own way. Together we made a community and to be part of it was a joy.   

(Readers, if you're thinking that's the last of my holiday photos - maybe thinking 'hurrah' or maybe even thinking that's sad - be assured there are some more to come, as I extended my time away with a short trip to Dundee. I'll post those images in a while. I've a few more thematic photos to share too... so you're not yet off the hook! I'll spread them out.) 

Around St Andrews

Fife holiday 2026 #14

I really enjoyed wandering around St Andrews, fairly aimlessly really, just seeing what I could discover.

There's been a settlement here since the Iron Age but the town really began as an ecclesiastical centre in the 8th century when a monastery was established, holding some relics associated with St Andrew. Construction of the present town began in the 1100s and it became a place of pilgrimage. The university was founded in 1413 and is now ranked consistently among the top five UK universities. The town declined steadily throughout the 17th and 18th centuries and even the university, the third oldest in the UK, was considering relocating. In the mid-19th century, Hugh Lyon Playfair, provost of St. Andrews, was credited with improving the burgh, the University and the Golf Club. Today, St Andrews is served by education, golf, tourism and the conference industry.

The centre is a wonderful mix of old (very Scottish in style) buildings and more modern inserts. It has, effectively, four main streets in parallel, which hold some of the university buildings, the shops, numerous cafés and civic buildings. Many of the university buildings have been renovated, extended or built as new in a pleasingly sympathetic way. I think initially it was a collegiate university like Oxford and Cambridge but now it seems to be managed as one entity, with all its various schools of study. 

It was one of those places where it was worth ambling up little alleyways and through gates; you never knew what you'd find. I discovered this fairly well-hidden quadrangle, St Mary's Quad, with some magnificent trees including the Great Holm Oak, planted in 1740. It's surrounded by lovely old buildings, one of which houses the St James Library. 

There's a statue of Bishop Henry Wardlaw, a founder of the university, beside a ruined arch which was once a boundary gateway c1420.   

Along South Street, I popped in to Holy Trinity Church, some of which dates back to 1412 but most of it rebuilt in 1907. It was a beautiful space, enhanced by the wonderful flower arrangements courtesy of a wedding that had been held that day. The volunteers on duty were very kind and helpful too, so I really enjoyed my visit.

As with most university towns, it has several bookshops, including the magnificent 'Toppings', where I could happily have spent all day browsing. With so many tourists and students, it's not surprising that there are also a huge number of cafés and bars.

Northpoint Café, at the east end of North Street, proudly proclaims that it is 'where Kate met Wills (for coffee)', which presumably is a good recommendation. 

I visited the university museum, the Wardlaw Museum, which has a lot of interesting information about the history of the university, the University's extraordinary art, history, science and natural history collections and the research and inventions that have had an impact on the world. It was modern, well curated and displayed. I enjoyed browsing. Outside there's a statue of St Andrew, attributed to Sir John Steell (1804-1891) and apparently a copy of one in St Peter's Basilica in Rome. 

It's easy to forget that this is a seaside town but the coastal vista from the viewing terrace at the museum was stunning. 

St Andrews - St Salvators

Fife holiday 2026 #13

The unexpected gem of my perambulation of St Andrews was the beautiful college chapel of St Salvator, dating back to 1450 but much changed since then (largely due to the Protestant Reformation when it was stripped of most of its iconography). What we see now owes much to the Gothic Revivalist style popular in Victorian times, and some sympathetic modern additions, but the chapel retains a dignity and serenity that I found most appealing. 

Behind it is a quadrangle of university buildings. I gather that the Prince and Princess of Wales resided in St Salvator's Hall during their first year at St Andrew's University (which is famously where they met) but the buildings behind the chapel are not the student halls of residence, which lie beyond. 

As I was nearing the Chapel, a large tour bus stopped outside to deposit its passengers. I upped my pace in order to get inside before they did! So I at least had a few peaceful moments to myself, and took all the interior shots with my phone in order to speed up the process. I am quite pleased with how they turned out.  

As I left the Chapel, I noted a man in a full Scottish kilt outfit entering. I then realised that there was about to be a wedding. Guests were gathering outside the main entrance on the street side of the Chapel and there was a bagpiper who began to play, so I was delighted to see that. It was an unexpected bonus, since if I'd arrived a few minutes later I would not have been able to go inside. Serendipity. 

St Andrews - Golf

Fife holiday 2026 #12

Amongst its many claims to fame, St Andrews prides itself as 'the home of golf'. Golf has been played here since at least the 15th century. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club was formed in 1754 and its iconic clubhouse (the rear of which you can see in my photo above) was built in the mid-1800s. It is the ruling authority for golf in every country in the world other than the USA and Mexico. Beyond the clubhouse, the famous Old Course regularly hosts major championships. In the foreground of the photo above, the grassy area is known as the Bow Butts and was used for archery. 

I couldn't get a good shot of the clubhouse frontage as there were hospitality tents in the way. It's on the left (below) and the other lovely building is the Hamilton Grand, formerly a hotel, then halls of residence for the university and now luxury apartments.  It featured in the film 'Chariots of Fire', as did the West End beach in the distance in my last photo. 

People come from all over the world to play golf here. There was some serious equipment on show, and if you forget anything there are plenty of shops selling all the clothes and gear.

There are of course, monuments and plaques commemorating famous golfers. This one is Tom Morris (1821-1908) 'The Grand Old Man of Golf', who was born and died in St Andrews. 

As I mentioned earlier, the long sweep of sand beyond the golf courses is known as the West Sands. The two mile long beach was the iconic filming location for the legendary opening running scene of the 1981 Oscar-winning film 'Chariots of Fire'.

St Andrews - Historical sites

Fife holiday 2026 #11

The plan for the final day of our holiday was to walk from St Andrews to Kingsbarns, a distance of some 7 miles across quite remote country (lots of golf courses again!). I and a couple of friends decided we'd rather spend the day in St Andrews, a university town with a wealth of interesting sights. So we hopped on the bus. I still walked more than 5 miles around the town, so I did get a good workout albeit at a slower pace, with more coffee! 

The bus station was near to the West Port, a gate into the town built in 1589, designed to impress visitors, which it still does I guess. 

My first port of call was the ancient cathedral, now a ruin. I was rather disappointed in it, to be honest, mainly because the grounds were covered in temporary and unsightly metal fences. These have been erected around gravestones and monuments that are judged to be unstable (most of them, in fact!). It seems they are waiting for the relevant families to pay for repairs... but I guess in many cases there is no family left. The dominant structure is St Rule's Tower, part of the original St Rule's Church that preceded the cathedral. Built in the 1100s, it drew pilgrims to the shrine of St Andrew. The Cathedral, consecrated in 1318, was the most important church in medieval Scotland. Part of the grand west entrance still survives. 

There's the foundations of a Cloister and a Chapter House, where the canons would meet to do church business. Several of the priors were buried under its floor and today you can see some of the medieval, stone coffins.

Next stop for me was the harbour, not large by the standards of some we'd already visited but an important presence to the south west of the town. 

Then I meandered along the seafront, passing St Andrews Castle. Destroyed and rebuilt several times during wars between the Scots and the English, it was rebuilt by Bishop Walter Trail in 1400 and became the main residence of the bishops and archbishops of St Andrews and the administrative centre of the Church of Scotland. It was also a notorious prison. It went through many turbulent times, including a siege in the mid 1500s, as a result of the entwining of church and national politics. It was abandoned and finally fell into ruin in the late 1600s. 

Beyond the castle, the seafront road (The Scores) is where many of the university buildings are situated so I wandered along enjoying the grand old buildings and the more modern structures that have been shoehorned in among them.