Day 6 - St. Andrews

When we got up on day 6, we knew that the weather was not in our favor - it was dark, cold, and oh so windy! But we were planning to drive a good part of the day anyway, so we packed up the car and headed south on the coastal route to Stonehaven and Dunnottar Castle. I'd visited this castle once before, and really enjoyed it, but the weather couldn't have been more different. The first time I was there it was warm, clear, and we enjoyed a beautiful sunset. This time, well, I thought the wind might blow me right off the cliffs. Ben and Papa didn't even get out of the car, and we only walked as far as the top of the stairs. The climb to the castle is quite steep and long, first down wooden stairs, then back up slick stone stairs. And since the inside of the castle wasn't even open, we didn't bother. The view was gorgeous anyway, though.

From there we headed south to St. Andrews. Our first stop there was the famous Old Golf Course, where we visited no less than 4 gift shops, walked around the club house and hotel, and even walked on the grounds of the golf course a little bit. Even though it was still bitter cold with the wind, men were still out golfing. I guess since you have to reserve your tee time so long in advance, when your chance comes up you play regardless of the weather. Papa really enjoyed being out there at the golf course, and was very excited to walk out on the 18th green to the bridge where Jack Nicklaus did his famous last walk when he retired from the course. Notice, Papa even dressed for the day - in his Master's sweatshirt - just to make everyone jealous! Oh, one cool thing - there's a road right across the 18th green. The sign says to watch out for golfers, proceed at your own risk, and when you go, do it quickly. So we drove across the 18th hole of the St. Andrews Old Course!

After we were able to pull Papa away from the golf course, we visited the St. Andrews Cathedral and Castle. Now I'll admit, I probably would have enjoyed these a lot more if the weather had been nicer. As it was, none of us had much desire to spend much time outside.

Finally, we drove on to Edinburgh, checked into our B&B, and headed out in search of dinner. Day 7 was coming, and we knew it would be a long one with lots of walking. A post with those adventures is coming soon...