Welcome to my ranking of the top 10 streets in St Andrews.
To make this fair, I will not be including North, Market, or South Street. They are obviously the busiest and longest streets, so they would statistically dominate the list. I’ll be ranking based on this arbitrary rating system of mine, consisting of 5 different categories:
Beauty – Literally how pretty it is! We all need our “hot girl walks.”
Convenience – Location in town / whether it would be nice to live there.
Activity – Things you can do on the street.
Crowd – How busy it is (0 for packed, 10 for empty).
Purpose – How useful is it?
*Also, I need to remind everyone that a 5/10 is neutral — neither good nor bad!
10 – Lade Braes (6/10)
Beauty: 6/10
Convenience: 8/10
Activity: 1/10
Crowd: 5/10
Purpose: 10/10
As an ex-DRA resident, Lade Braes was my saving grace in first year: a pretty way to get into town. It’s basically an express cross-town route, and you’re very unlikely to see people you know. It only gets a little awkward in the skinny bits when you get in the way of someone on their morning run, but it’s not a big deal in my opinion. There is nothing to do but walk or live there, though, so it loses some points for that.
9 – Queen’s Gardens (6.2/10)
Beauty: 7/10
Convenience: 10/10
Activity: 1/10
Crowd: 8/10
Purpose: 5/10
As I said, I love that bit behind South Street that suddenly feels like you’re in the suburbs of St Andrews. Queen’s Gardens connects South Street to Queen’s Terrace, but it’s actually in town. It’s super close to St. Mary’s Library (my personal favorite study spot) and mere minutes from the cafés and shops, which are South Street’s only redeeming qualities. The buildings on one side are all pleasingly uniform, with cute, colorful front doors. The other side of the street is entirely composed of private gardens; so, while there is nothing to do but live there, it seems to be a fantastic place to live. I know St. Regulus Hall is very small, but I think it’s very underrated for its convenience, as far as accommodation halls are concerned. It’s not a crowded street, but I docked a couple of points for how slim the sidewalks are.
8 – Bell Street (6.4/10)
Beauty: 1/10
Convenience: 10/10
Activity: 10/10
Crowd: 2/10
Purpose: 9/10
Home to two St Andrews experience staples — Aikman’s and Big Boss [Birdie’s] — I can’t exclude Bell Street from this list just because it isn’t pretty. Yes, I gave it a 1/10 — it looks like a city street (especially with the recent construction work). I must admit, it looks strange in broad daylight because it is essentially the hub of nightlife in St Andrews. It was once also home to Rocca, whose sandwiches and pizzas are much missed. Caffé Nero (an underrated study spot) and Oliver Bonas (an underrated shopping spot) also mustn’t go unmentioned. It’s almost always crowded, but that’s just a natural consequence of how much there is to do there. At night, there are some fairy lights that line the entire street, which doesn’t make it any prettier, but hey, it’s cute.
7 – The Links (6.6/10)
Beauty: 8/10
Convenience: 4/10
Activity: 8/10
Crowd: 6/10
Purpose: 7/10
If you ever need a reminder that you are living in The Home of Golf, take a walk down The Links. It offers awesome (middle-aged) people-watching and beautiful views of the Old Course and West Sands — minus the struggle of walking on grass or sand. It’s a tiny bit out of the way, but if you tend to work in the Main Library, it’s a pretty convenient place to take a study break. There are no cafés — only the Old Course shop and The Rusacks — so it is a remarkably expensive street if you want to do anything other than walk. It is not congested for the most part, but I docked some points for the tourist crowd during the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
6 – Queen’s Terrace (7/10)
Beauty: 7/10
Convenience: 6/10
Activity: 2/10
Crowd: 10/10
Purpose: 10/10
This one is rather biased because I walk it almost every day to get home. Queen’s Terrace is the perfect alternative to South Street, and I am a bit of a South Street detractor. There is basically nothing to do here, unless you’re headed to the Laidlaw Music Centre or St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, but it’s just so peaceful and charming. (Well, there are also some society dinners at the Holy Trinity Hall, once in a while. The back entrance to St. Mary’s Quad (by the Bute Building) is so lovely, too. It instantly feels like I am in the suburbs — but not the badlands — when I walk here. It seems like a nice place to live, and I love how it overlooks Kinnessburn. It’s beautiful during sunset.
5 – Baker Lane (7.8/10)
Beauty: 6/10
Convenience: 10/10
Activity: 6/10
Crowd: 7/10
Purpose: 10/10
Baker Lane connects the best parts of Market and South Streets (basically where Bouquiniste Bookshop and Jannetta’s Gelateria are — I mean, come on), and is the quickest shortcut between the two. It’s wide enough that you don’t bump into people, and there’s even a public little garden with benches on one side.
Plus, there’s a cat that’s always chilling there, and he lets you pet and take selfies with him. That’s why I gave it a 6/10 on Activity. Maybe it’s the Cat Lady in me — Sorry, not sorry.
4 – The Pends (8/10)
Beauty: 9/10
Convenience: 8/10
Activity: 5/10
Crowd: 10/10
Purpose: 8/10
This is the bit at the east end of South Street that leads you from The Cathedral, along the graveyard, and down to East Sands. There is obviously nothing to do here but walk, but what a beautiful walk it is! It’s also the most accessible route to East Sands since it is properly paved and a straight shot from town. You will rarely see people here; it’s perfect for when you need to just listen to music and be left alone.
3 – North/South Castle Street (8.2/10)
Beauty: 8/10
Convenience: 9/10
Activity: 8/10
Crowd: 7/10
Purpose: 9/10
I put these two together because they are so short. These little side streets offer a wonderful view of the castle (hence their names, I imagine). I might be a bit biased as an English major, since I walk here to get to my classes at The Poetry House (at the intersection of The Scores). Though these streets are very much in town, they feel quaint and offer a sea breeze. On Sundays, you can have breakfast at Northpoint, then head to church at All Saints. What’s not to love?
2 – Greyfriars Garden (8.8/10)
Beauty: 9/10
Convenience: 10/10
Activity: 10/10
Crowd: 5/10
Purpose: 10/10
This one is pretty short, but it packs a punch. Home to the beloved Topping & Co. Booksellers and always-bustling café-boutique Spoiled Life, Greyfriars Garden is the perfect place to have a mooch. Though there is plenty to do here, this street retains the small-town charm that other busy streets in St Andrews tend not to (like Bell St or Market St). One side is full of private gardens (and I am jealous of those who live at the coordinating flats), but the final garden is Kinnettles Hotel’s Coffee Garden, which has WiFi and comfortable huts if you want to study outdoors. You could spend the whole day here if you really wanted to. I, for one, have spent hours upon hours here. The only place it loses points is the crowd, because the pavements are very skinny, so it gets a bit stuffy during busy hours.
1 – The Scores (9.4/10)
Beauty: 10/10
Convenience: 9/10
Activity: 9/10
Crowd: 9/10
Purpose: 10/10
Okay, I mean, this wasn’t exactly fair, since it’s so long… but come on. This is undeniable. The Scores is literally the street that made me commit to St Andrews. I saw it on a student’s YouTube channel and knew I simply had to live here. It’s not only beautiful, but it’s also very convenient to live on (if you have a million pounds to spare). Plus, Saints Sizzle — the best (affordable) restaurant in town — is there. The sea breeze can better your mood even on the worst day, the pavements are wide, so it never feels crowded, the view of both West Sands and The Old Course is stunning, and it’s the perfect place to take photos in black tie. Furthermore, you can visit the Wardlaw Museum or go to mass at St. James’ Church. It’s so quintessentially St Andrews, for you can see not only the ocean, but also the bell tower of St Salvator’s Chapel, and the Main Library peaks over the medieval stone walls. That’s not exactly romantic, but it is surely a reminder that we are at a university. It’s in town, the perfect place to have a relaxing walk, but also not devoid of things to do. What more could you ask for?
Right on Track or a Step Too Far?
Thanks for accompanying me on this journey through St Andrews, navigating streets both bustling and blissful, to complete this ranking. Next time you’re out for a stroll to escape the library, feel free to refer to this ranking to help guide your path… But maybe not all the time (because then every street would lose points)!
P.S.: I feel like this is an elephant in the room, and her name is Hope Street. I personally think it is the most overrated street in St Andrews. Don’t get me wrong — it is pretty, but it’s not as close to everything as it seems, unless you love The Union and Molly Malone’s. It’s also just so convoluted, and it definitely gained a lot of fame just because Will and Kate lived there. That said, I would have done ANYTHING to live in McIntosh Hall in my first year (the most acceptable time to frequent The Union and Molly’s), and I would have envied everyone who did.