A golfing paradise in Scotland

Scotland is renowned for many things; bagpipes, castles, beautiful scenery, serene lochs, and of course being the home of golf! In fact there are over 500 golf courses in Scotland so it would take you a few years to play them all!

We spent a week in St Andrews whilst my son took part in a golf competition, and when he was on the fairways we visited the surrounding areas. St Andrews itself is a lovely part of the world. It is not a stereotypical tourist town at all and it is steeped in history. It is also home to Scotland's oldest university where Prince William attended. The centre of the town has cobbled streets, narrow alleyways and some lovely cafes, ice cream parlours and shops.

You can explore the castle, the now ruined cathedral and the adjacent church of St Regulus, where you can climb the spiral staircase to the top of the 108 ft tower for magnificent views of the town and its surroundings.

There are two beautiful beaches, a Sea Life Centre and the Museum of Golf, with plenty of other places to visit all within a short drive.

We found a wonderful place to eat just on the outside of the town called the Steak Barn - we sat on benches with sand underfoot and watched our steaks being cooked and it was delicious!

I would recommend St Andrews to anyone, not just golf lovers. It is a beautiful part of the world and one we will be returning to again in 2017!