By Eddie Young
Former Sports Editor
Eddie Young, The Signal’s former sports editor, is studying abroad in the United Kingdom this semester and will chronicle his travels each print edition.
Edinburgh is a wonderful city up north in Scotland. It has a great blend of historical sights and older architecture along with more modern sections littered throughout the city.
In terms of population, Edinburgh is not nearly as big as some other cities in the U.K., and it is not even the most populated city in Scotland, as Glasgow has it beat.
However, the cobblestone streets were packed with tourists and locals every time I set foot in them. People come from all over the world to visit this unique city, and they have every reason to do so.
The first touristy activity that I embarked on in Edinburgh was a hike up Arthur’s Seat, an extinct volcano overlooking the city. If you do anything in Edinburgh, you have to get to the top of Arthur’s Seat. The hike was not the easiest thing in the world, but it was doable.
The path to the top was filled with uneven rocky stairs, but when I made it to the top, I was greeted with one of the most breathtaking views I have ever been lucky enough to see in my lifetime.
At the peak of Arthur’s Seat, you are able to see everything in Edinburgh. Edinburgh Castle, Murrayfield Stadium and both the Old and New Towns are visible from this height. In the distance past the city, you get to be eye-level with all of the other hills that surround Edinburgh.
And if you look away from the center of the city, you get a great view of the North Sea, the sea that separates Scotland from Scandinavia. The views from this peak alone made the entire trip worth it.
After my descent from Arthur’s Seat, I made a trip into Old Town, a section of the city that is filled with old and well-preserved buildings and streets. The centerpiece of Old Town was Edinburgh Castle, perched upon the top of a hill.
The castle carries a lot of history, as it was built in the 11th century and has withstood many battles and sieges in the past millennium. It has been claimed by many royal members in the past, whether they be Scottish or English, and has been a symbol of strength to the Scots for years.
It was filled with many different rooms and buildings to tour; it seemed like I was going to spend all afternoon there, but every room had something new to offer and had to be seen. Since Edinburgh Castle is on a hill in the center of the city, there were many great views of the city from a different point of view compared to Arthur’s Seat.
About an hour and a half north from Edinburgh is a tiny town named St. Andrews. Many people may not have heard of this town on the coast of the North Sea, as it is quite small with a population about half that of Ewing. However, every fan of golf knows the significance of this town.
St. Andrews, Scotland (Photo by Eddie Young).
It is known as the “home of golf,” and has seven beautiful golf courses at St. Andrews Links, including the oldest course in the world, the Old Course. Golf has been played here for 600 years, and to anyone who is a fan of golf, it is like a pilgrimage to visit this place.
The Old Course had a walking path right along its edge, allowing tourists to see all 18 holes while watching people lucky enough to have their names drawn from a raffle play the course.
The course looked as tough to play in real life as it does on TV. The bunkers all go straight into the ground and look like hell to play out of, especially “Hell’s Bunker” on the 14th hole. I watched as someone teed off on 18, trying to place their ball on a narrow fairway, but instead crashing it into a building on the road right on top of the course.
The course’s historical landmarks were also amazing to see in person. The Old Course Hotel, right next to the 17th hole, was a nice sight to see in-person and just helped to show how hard that hole truly is for the pros. One bad drive, and your ball is going to end up in someone’s hotel room.
The Swilcan Bridge on the 18th hole was also right next to the path, and while we were unsure on whether we were allowed to walk across it, my three friends and I ran up to it to go get some pictures while there was a break in the action.
Every single store around the courses seemed to be selling golf attire, as this town seemed to know its selling point as a tourist destination. However, even though it was the most majestic golf course I have ever seen in my life, St. Andrews still had more to offer than the Links.
The town is on the coast of the North Sea, and you are able to walk the West Sands Beach, getting a beautiful view of the sea and the town as you walk further away from it. St. Andrews also has some very interesting ruins of an old cathedral that was destroyed in the 1500s. Also, it has the University of St. Andrews, Prince William and Princess Kate’s alma mater.
Even if you are not that into golf, St. Andrews is definitely worth making a trip to. The links are a gorgeous sight to see. They even had a mini golf course right next to the second hole on the old course that only cost two pounds to play. This day trip from Edinburgh was the highlight of my entire group’s trip, even for the people who were not as into golf. Both Edinburgh and St. Andrews were amazing places to visit, and you have to go at least once in your life to see both cities.
