St Andrews Cathedral

Expansive grounds where the cathedral was (now ruins)and graveyard is overlooking the North Sea. There's a small visitor center, yet you can roam around at will. We saw ancient engravings on a tombstone. Some walls are intact; others are long gone. To see the best views; there's a tower with 162 steps. If you just roam the place, it is free. We spent about 40 minutes exploring.

It is such a different look and feel to come from fully restored cathedrals to see this site. The remaining walls and structures suggest an imposing structure and bring such a unique and moving feeling to the grounds. It's hard to describe but suffice it to say that one must see it, feel it, and absorb it. If people go to St. Andrews to only see the golf course they will be missing a sight well worth the drive.

A beautiful grave site. You have ruins, and not too far away, a nice view of the water thanks to the St-Andrews Pier.

I didn't pay to climb to the top of tower but I'm sure it's worth it.

A great landmark to see if you're ever in St-Andrews.

Walking among the ruins, I was amazed at how large this cathedral actually was. It must have been magnificent in its day. If only stones could tell the story. It's well worth a visit even on a rainy day. The tower is worth a climb to get a great view of St Andrews.

Walking through history is always incredible. Not only is it very picturesque, but I've always loved old cemeteries and seeing the lives of the people there.

Note: You must go to the top of the tower for the view!

This is a gorgeous place. And 900 or so years of history. And its only a short walk from the castle.

There is so much to take in that you could literally spend an afternoon just absorbing the scenery, having a picnic, and exploring the underground Pictish carvings, tombs, etc.

The tower is fantastic. You get a simply spectacular view of the town, water, cathedral, and castle.

You must spend some time looking at the ancient Pict carvings to see evidence of the first people to settle Scotland. Predating the cathedral itself, these are amazing.

The tombs are there as well and you get to see ancient engravings on old burial stone.

Although it is essentially well kept up ruins, it gives you an idea of the general scale of this site and a real flashback to that era.

This was a beautiful and free activity located a block or two from the main drag of Saint Andrews. Here you can explore the remains of the old cathedral and monastery (which was incredibly massive!) as well as explore the graveyard that surrounds the structure. It's crazy to think about how solid this building must have been and what people were able to build with such limited resources. The remaining columns alone made my jaw drop. The cathedral is set facing the ocean with a beautiful paved path along the backside of the property. Note that for a fee you can experience the museum and there is also a souvenir shop on site. The space was so serene and beautiful, I could have easily laid down for a nap to soak it all in. A must-see while in Saint Andrews.

These ruins are definitely worth seeing. To think this was a pilgrimage site in the middle ages is very cool. The view from the top of the tower is great. Highly recommend if you don't mind steep, narrow stairs.

We visited St Andrews and walked the grounds of St Andrews Cathedral. Built in 1158, as a Roman Catholic cathedral, it fell into ruin and disuse after the 16th Century Scottish Reformation. There is a cemetery on the grounds as well. We were there when it was raining so we did a quick walk-through and left. The grounds are free to peruse but St Rule's tower costs money to climb. On a clear day, this might be worth it but it was cold, windy, and rainy so I passed.

What must have been an awe-inspiring medieval cathedral is now mostly a pile of rubble, with some walls and towers left which are but pale shadows of the building's former glory. Sadly, humans are just as adept at tearing down impressive constructions as they are at building them. :(

The bad news: It still costs UKP 4.50 for you to see what's left. The good news: You can easily avoid paying those UKP 4.50, because the cathedral grounds are open, *gaping*, on all sides. There's a ticket office, but it's located in a remote corner of the ruins, so you can just walk in, around & out without anyone actually noticing that you haven't paid. And if that sounds awful, then, be my guest! I don't think the meagre rest of the building justifies the expenditure. And that's that. And the same goes for St. Andrews Castle (which you can't enter for free).

You can get a good impression of the ruins from my pictures. Yes, there are some intriguing gates and walls left. Yes, they convey the former grandeur of the construction. No, they're not terribly thrilling - given that there are SO many cathedrals in England (York, Worcester, Ely, Gloucester, and the ones in London) that are BOTH awesome AND intact.