Out By St Andrews
St Andrews is seldom quiet. Its streets are usually packed with holidaymakers, students and, of course, golfers eager to play the Old Course.
The Cathedral, St Rule’s Tower – built almost 900 years ago – the Castle, the Royal & Ancient and the wee Swilkan Bridge are all must-sees, but a relaxing stroll along the city’s wide and long sandy beaches is certainly not to be missed, either.
One or two of those carrying rucksacks may only be passing through; hiking the 117 mile long-distance Fife Coastal Path that runs between Kincardine and Newport-on-Tay.
It was part of that route that I found myself taking to this morning with a walk beyond the East Sands and Kinkell Braes to visit the unusual natural rock feature known as the “Rock and Spindle”.
Attached to a tall isolated stack is a rock that well resembles a spindle or spinning wheel – hence its name!
Thankfully, most visitors to St Andrews are happy to confine themselves to the city’s paved streets and out this way all I have for company are a couple oystercatchers frantically searching for their next meal among the sands and seaweed.
