As soon as the sun begins to come out in St Andrews and deadline season commences, I’m constantly looking for ways to get out of the house and forget about work for a little while. As a first year student, I remember feeling a bit overwhelmed by what people normally did, so here are some of the best warm weather activities I have learned about over the past year.
Sunshine Study Session
If you are feeling cooped up in your room on a sunny day in St Andrews, get out by having a little study sesh in the beautiful weather. Some of the best places to go are St Salvator’s (Sallies) Quad, St. Mary’s Quad, or the park off of Lade Braes. The locations are in order from most to least busy, so come early to get a Sallies spot and expect crowds, but on Lade Braes, you can expect more dogs and families, but you are sure to get a spot of your own and even a sunny bench if you are lucky enough to snatch one in time. Another thing to keep in mind is that both quads should have wifi while Lade Braes does better for catching up on pre-downloaded/paper copy readings or problem sets already saved to your OneNote. Be sure to wear sunscreen because even though the Scottish sun might seem tame, it sneaks up on you!
Let’s Go to the Beach
There are so many wholesome activities to do on the beach. If the day is clear, I recommend a sunset beach picnic with friends. Go to the store, grab some wine and all your charcuterie board ingredients, bring a blanket, warm clothes, and a speaker, and lay everything out on the beach in the dusk glow. Another beach picnic take if you are all caught up on work is to bring all your friends down to the beach. Spend the day there with a game or drink of choice. Make teams and play pickup soccer, frisbee, or cricket. When you are done playing, have a big barbeque with burgers, chips, and fruit. I did this last year with my friends, and it was one of my best first year memories!
Even More Beach Activities
As you can tell, the beach is a great place to be on a warm day in St Andrews. But I swear this section is slightly different; it involved horses! I recommend checking out the St Andrews Polo social media pages for the next beach chukkas. They have them throughout the warmer months when the tide is right for a beach-wide polo field. Bring along some Prosecco or a coffee and watch with friends. I highly recommend stopping by The Dook on the way as well. They carry Newport Bakery pastries (my personal favorite in town), the most delicious freshly made sandwiches, icecream, coffee, and anything else your heart desires. Their outdoor picnic tables are a great place to sit and eat before you head to the polo match.
The Secret Garden
I didn’t know this until late April of my first year, but the Rule has a beer garden out back. Just walk into the back room towards the women’s restroom, and you will see a glowing sign for the garden. The door leading out is on the right side. The garden is full of picnic tables and covered seating areas. If the day is nice, head with friends for a pint or one of their sharing pitchers. It’s normally not too crowded, so enjoy a more private and chill vibe with your friends!
Fancy an Aperol Spritz
On a sunny day, you have got to get an Aperol Spritz. Sitting in the sun sipping a bright orange drink with your friends is such a fun vibe. Although I don’t know that many places have an Aperol Spritz on their menu, you can often ask and see. Some of the places where you can sit outside and get the drink that I know of are the Criterion, the Central, and the Dunny (Dunvegan). All of the bars are great vibes, but be warned that on the sunniest and warmest of days, people often have the same idea, so be prepared to fight for your seat.
Hang Ten!
Although when you dreamed of where you might try surfing, you probably did not picture Scotland, it’s quite a popular sport to pick up at this school. I have many friends who did not surf before university but who now have their own board and go regularly when the waves are right. For beginners, it’s probably best to go to one of the Surf club’s “give it a gos” in the early fall (follow their social media to catch when they are) or get lessons with Blown Away’s surf school. If you are feeling at a more advanced level, find a friend with a board, a wetsuit, a good day to go, and enjoy! Although this might be a more fun activity on sunnier days, I cannot guarantee the water will be the same as the weather. If you are hoping for warmer (still not necessarily warm) water, try going as we come back to school when the summer months have taken away a bit of the chill.
I hope you learned a bit from my list of favorite warm weather activities and that you try some of them for yourself. Enjoy!