This weekend I spent some time in St Andrews, a seaside town in Scotland known for golf, castles, cathedral ruins and a beautiful coastline. It is also home to the highly acclaimed St Andrew’s University, with alumni including Prince William and Kate Middleton.
St Andrews definitely lived up to my expectations. With quaint stone streets that looked like they belonged in a painting, a shimmering blue sea, charming people and seaside ruins from centuries ago that were some of the grandest I have seen. The weather as well played its part, switching between glorious sunshine and snow to give the best of both worlds.
St Andrews is the most recent of a collection of small towns I have visited all over the world. I love the pulse and the history and the life of a city. There are very few places that beat a London morning or New York on New Year’s Eve, but whenever I have time I love visit the small towns further out in the countryside.
The Hidden Treasures of Small Towns…
I find in these places I see a side to a country that is often missed. The pace of life is slower, the days are more relaxed and there are hidden treasures that are missed in the city.
These treasures often vary from town to town, in St. Paul in France it was an art gallery/studio/shop that was built into the stone of the mountain underneath the street that had the best paintings of the surrounding olive groves. In Leura in Australia it was takeaway from a bakery next to a fire station and a lookout over the mountains. In Cobh in Ireland it was tiny museum that was last port of call on the ill-fated journey of the Titanic. In Dorking in England it was a hidden courtyard lined with flower boxes with blossoms overflowing in every colour.
In St Andrews it was a café called the Cottage Kitchen and a walkway with the best view of the most stunning coastline that people have looked out over for centuries.
These small towns, I find, give a deeper understanding of a country and a place and a time. I would wholeheartedly recommend London and New York, Paris and Rome and Tokyo. But, if you have time, I would also recommend that you do not pass up finding the art gallery in St Paul or the museum in Cobh or the view of the coast in St Andrews. These places will only add more magic to your view of the world.
Let us know in the comments the best small town you have visited!
Blessed are the Curious 