St Andrews to Pitlochry

Wednesday 13 August

On the road early in the morning to St Andrews, the home of golf. Please note the blue sky - an unusual occurrence on on visit to Scotland. However it was still very cold.

Another photo for the golfers in the family.

While Robin went shopping for golf related items I went exploring. Along a side street I found the ruins of St Andrew's Castle.

The castle was originally built in the twelfth century but was destroyed on a number of occasions during confrontations between the Scots and the English. It was rebuilt around 1400.

At the end of the main street can be found the remains of St Andrews Cathedral. Building of the cathedral commenced in 1160 and continued for a further 150 years. It was dedicated in 1318 and at the time was the largest church in Scotland. The cathedral was  a major place of worship in Scotland until the Protestant Reformation. Initially the church was 'cleansed' but from 1561 it was abandoned and left to fall into ruin.

Large sections of this magnificent building still remain.

Walking among them leaves you with a feeling of awe at the scale of the original building and the history that the building conveys.

 Our next stop was the small town of Pitlochry. A feature of the town is the original garden displays.

Keeping the golfing theme, Pitlochry has a golf course and putting green.

Pitlochry also is the location of Heathergems - where jewellery items are made from coloured compressed heather.