Things to do on a rainy day

St Andrews is lucky to be listed as one of the sunniest places in Scotland but when it does rain, we’ve got you covered. We won’t rain dampen anyone’s spirits while staying at our accommodations. St Andrews and the East Neuk have a realm of things to do indoors for when the weather gets in your way of your perfect holiday.

Museums

St Andrews museum is sat amongst Kinburn Park inside a beautiful Victorian mansion. The museum explores the heritage of the towns medieval past, as well Scotland’s first university. The University of St Andrews also has its own zoology museum of Natural History, which is a survival of an Edwardian teaching building and opens to the public for the season in the Spring. The admission to both is completely free and is a great day out for history lovers.

Further along the coast in the beautiful village of Anstruther, the Scottish Fisheries Museum is a wonderful insight into what the East coast of Scotland is famous for. The buildings in which the museum is housed dates back to the 16th century, with the courtyard itself being used for fishing since the 14th century. Entry prices are £9 for adults and children 16 and under go free.

Indoor Golf Centre

Opened in October 2016, the Indoor Golf Centre is the only facility of its kind in the home of golf. The centre is not just for avid golfers, they welcome all ages and is great fun for friends and families alike. They are equipped with three simulator bays which allows the players to play some of the best golf courses in the world interactively. Staffed entirely by PGA professionals, you will always find a voice of knowledge to help guide you through the technology.

Even better, our guests receive 20% off bay charges. Just show the staff your Kingask keyring when paying to redeem.

Ensure you give them a call on 01334 611466 prior to visiting to confirm availability, it’s a very popular place on a rainy day!

Byre Theatre

The Byre Theatre is located on Abbey Street, just off South Street which is walkable from the vast majority of our accommodations located in town. The epicenter of all things artsy in North East Fife, the Byre is a vibrant hub open all year round with a programme of events, shows, conferences, music and learning. Be sure to keep an eye on their what’s on page to keep up to date with events. They also have an excellent relaxed café, open daily from 10am serving a range of home-baked goodies, paninis, sandwiches, soup and hot or cold drinks. They’re even dog friendly too.

Cinema

The New Picture House is a characterful, independent cinema located right in the heart of St Andrews that was first opened in 1930 (don’t worry, it has been spruced up since!). They show all the latest movies as well as some classics and contains four cinema screens, with the largest having a row of VIP seats consisting of black recliner chairs, with both balcony and ground level seating. They have an area in which you can buy snacks, slushies and other drinks upon arrival. ATM kiosk machines are located in the foyer, where you can purchase tickets and refreshment vouchers which are required for the snack stall.

Ticket prices are £8 for adults, £7.50 for teens (13-17), £5.50 for children (3-12) and £3.50 for under 3s. VIP tickets are available at an increased price of £14.

St Andrews Aquarium

St Andrews aquarium is nestled on the towns seafront adjacent to West Sands beach. With everything under one roof (minus the seal enclosure), the aquarium is the perfect place to spend a gloomy Scottish day, with a great diversity of both mammals and sea creatures. There is plenty to fill the majority of your day. They offer a great range of activities for an additional cost such as seal, penguin and meerkat feeding experiences where you can get hands on inside the enclosures, the meerkats being particularly great fun! Please note, for these particular experiences the minimum age requirement is 8. There is even a café onsite which offers a great selection of cakes, sandwiches and other snacks as well as hot and cold drinks.

If you purchase a day ticket, you are free to come and go as you please throughout the day (great for when the weather is fluctuating, you’ll have a safe zone)

Adult tickets are £11 and children £9 – under 2s go free.

Spa/Gym

A great way to enjoy a cold and miserable day is in the comfort of a spa. We are lucky to be surrounded by fabulous hotels who have great spa and gym facilities, and our guests can enjoy special offers at the best of these.

The Fairmont Hotel is situated along the coast around a 5 minute drive from the centre of St Andrews. Their facilities include a pool, jacuzzi, steam room, sauna and fitness suite. Our guests will receive discounted access at the following rates: £50/week and £25/day for adults, £20/week and £5/day for children, under 3s go free. Weekly spa passes give you unlimited access to both the gym and spa facilities, meaning you can go back and forth as frequently as you like, rain or no rain!

The famous Old Course hotel is renowned for its excellent spa facilities, including a rooftop hot tub with the most incredible views. Our guests will also receive 20% off all treatments, although access remains at the normal cost of £40/person for 1 day.

East Sands Leisure Centre

For those of you with children, East Sands leisure centre is great for keeping kids entertained when weather stops the outdoor fun. They have a large pool which is a suitable depth for slightly older kids, as well as a pool of paddling depth for the younger ones. They also have flume slides as well as disco swim evenings where they set up large inflatables in the pool, creating a child friendly ‘total wipeout’ course. These are on every Friday at 7:30pm – 8:45pm and Sunday at 11am – 12pm at a cost of £4 per person.

General admission to the pool areas are at a cost of £5.10 for adults, £3.60 for children and under 5s go free.

Secret Bunker

Previously Scotland’s best kept secret, the bunker lies beneath the innocent Scottish farmland accessed via a 450ft tunnel. Lying 100ft underground, the blast proof doors protect the 24,000 square feet of secret accommodation purposely built during the Cold War to safeguard Scotland in the event of a nuclear attack. The Secret Bunker is located 7 miles along the coast from St Andrews and is a truly mesmerising look into how Scotland would have coped in the event of an attack with many rooms left as there were, including command rooms where local bombing attacks were recorded and reported, as well as a BBC broadcasting studio which was fully equipped for emergency broadcasts.

The Secret Bunker is open from 1st February – 30th November.

Admission prices are £12.95 for adults, £8.95 for children 4-1, age 3 and under go free.

Distilleries

As everybody knows, Scotland is famous for its Whiskey. Fife has a long distilling history dating back to 1494. Nowadays, St Andrews and the East Neuk are home to ‘younger’ distilleries and craft breweries producing exquisite local drinks.

Kingsbarns distillery is nestled along the charming coast of Kingsbarns (if you didn’t already guess), adjacent to its famous golf course. The whiskey and gin distillery sits inside an 18th century farm steading which features and exhibition, as well as tours, tastings, a shop and a café.

Founded in 2012, Eden Mill is home to all things Gin in St Andrews offering a wide variety of flavours, from fruity to botanical, they’ve got them all! The distillery is located in Guardbridge around a 10 minute drive from the centre of town. Unfortunately they are currently going through a refurbishment so distillery and brewery tours are on hold. You can however still take part in their blendworks gin school experiences at the Rusacks Hotel, where they guide you through the process of creating bespoke gin, tailored entirely to your own personal taste. The experience lasts 2.5 hours and you even get to take away 3 of your very own 20CL bottles of handmade gin and lots of other gifts! The experience is £95 per person.

Soft play

The best way to occupy (and tire out) younger kids when the weather is miserable is at a soft play centre and we have a few within a short drive that are definitely worth a visit. The Wee Kingdom in Cupar is around a 15 minute drive away and has a large two story play frame with a slide and ball pool, enough to provide hours of entertainment for children up to the age of 11. Entry for over 1s is £4.50, under 1s go free. Just over the Tay Road Bridge, the Fun Factory in Dundee is another great day out if you have younger children with a slightly larger play area than the Wee Kingdom. There is a café too for the adults to enjoy food and drink while the children play until their heart is content. Prices vary between £2.50 and £7.50 depending on age and day of the week.

For families with slightly older children (and adults who act like big kids), Ryze in Dundee is the only one of its kind in the area, with a sea of oversized trampolines as well as giant inflatable assault courses, it is the perfect day out for all ages. A 2 hour session for ages 5+ is £16.50, with the option of adding on additional hours at £5.50/hour if 2 hours just isn’t enough. There is also a café that provides a great range of food.