The Times
Fore

St Andrews was the ecclesiastical capital of Scotland for centuries, and it still feels like a place of pilgrimage - set on a glorious bay and with an air of being somehow both wild and remote but also thoughtful and sophisticated at the same time.

The ruins of both a castle and a vast Abbey stand between the sea and the town’s bustling old lanes, while the renowned 15th century university - Britain’s third oldest after Oxford and Cambridge - adds multinational cosmopolitanism with students and staff from over 70 countries. The RAF base at Leuchars - site of the nearest train station about 3 miles from the town - brings a dash of fly-boy glamour to the town mix.

St Andrews is also, famously, the home of golf. The game’s rules were set down by the Royal & Ancient club that still overlooks the legendary Old Course, a beacon for players from around the world - though I’m personally more taken by the views across the vast sands of West Beach (setting for the 1980s Oscar-winning film Chariots of Fire) than the joys of hacking a white ball around.

Golfers, of course, know about spells in the rough, and St Andrews is riding out the current property market like a good pro battling against whatever the (financial) elements throw. The simple desirability of the place helps.

The heart of the town is a compact core of streets - The Scores, North Street, Market Street and South Street - bookended by the castle and Abbey ruins at one end and the Old Course at the other. Cobbled lanes lined with beautiful stone cottages and sturdy granite tenements criss-cross the centre, while beautiful quads offer green enclaves of academe - none more beautiful than the 16th century St Mary‘s College, boasting a vast tree said to have been planted by Mary, Queen of Scots.

The university fuels an air of cultured buzz. The Byre Theatre is a modern arts centre tucked away in a pretty courtyard, offering an eclectic year-round programme from Pinter and Mamet to flamenco and opera. Add in second-hand bookshops and modern art dealers, plus an array of great pubs, bohemian cafes and decent restaurants serving an undergraduate population noted for its poshness - recent graduates include Prince William.

As well as a world-renowned university, its place in golf history also gives St Andrews an upmarket appeal way beyond any typical small coastal town. The Old Course Hotel, for example, wouldn’t look out of place in any rich European city, its old-school luxury including rooms fit for royals and presidents, a Mappin & Webb shop and a top-class spa, alongside fine restaurants and the legendary Road Hole bar offering one of the world’s best whisky collections as well as stunning views.

The Fairmont offers similar class down near the tiny harbour, while The Seafood Restaurant offers excellent cooking in a striking modern glass box perched above the sands by the Aquarium. A few miles south, meanwhile, the gorgeous East Neuk fishing villages are as atmospherically desirable as anywhere in the West Country - Crail, Anstruther, St Monans, Elie and the artists’ hangout Pittenweem.

Schlepping to Leuchars for trains is an irritant, though taxis are plentiful. Once there, Edinburgh is just an hour to the south with its myriad onward connections and airport, while there are also some direct trains to London, the Midlands and southwest England. For families, local schools include the well-regarded Madras College (secondary) and the fee-paying St Leonards.

While prices in some of the more outlying areas of the town have fallen, anything central has held value. The main impact of the crunch has been a reduction in the number of buyers rather than falling prices, with leading agents Pagan Osborne (paganosborne.com) reporting a 30% fall in transactions. The silver lining, as the company’s Linda Black notes, is “a better chance to actually secure a St Andrews property which was previously fought over by just too many willing purchasers”.

While the town has a wonderful stock of period property, Kilrymont House is a notable new development near the harbour and Abbey ruins. Carved out of the 1920s dormitory of a 19th century boarding school, it’s a neat mix of period style on the outside with modern luxury inside. Nearly all the 24 two and three-bed apartments have sold, with prices from £335,000 to £399,000.

Another major development sits on a beautiful hill just outside the town. The Duke’s Residence, a sister of the Old Course Hotel, is a superb conversion of a vast Edwardian mansion whose Jacobean flourishes nod to the fact that a grand pile of one sort or other has stood here since 1698.

Its stunning period interior will host 16 luxury apartments beside the heathland Duke’s Course with stunning views of the town and St Andrews Bay. Rather than outright ownership, buyers get a share of the property, with packages starting at £142,000 for exclusive access, club membership and full services. Completion is set for late 2009, but interest is high already for what will be one of the world’s top golf residences. Fore!
ALL PRICES ARE FOR 2008