St. Andrews The Arms of the Royal Burgh of St.Andrews Community Council (Used by permission )

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Harbour Pier

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Tour: Harbour Bridge  | East Sands *  | Castle - from the courtyard well *  | St Rule's Tower * 
Visit: Gatty Marine Laboratory

Harbour Pier

From the harbour, touring and fishing boat trips of the bay area are available. The harbour provides lovely walks, views of the cathedral and access on foot to the East Sands and on to the Leisure Centre. On Sunday afternoons, during term time just after church, students in their scarlet gowns take a traditional walk along the long pier and back (the more daring students walking back along a narrow and high part of the wall.) It is a very colourful sight. At this time the pier is closed for rennovations, and pier walks are suspended.

The earliest references to the harbour date to the 14th century, but the estuary of the Kinness Burn was undoubtedly used before that as a natural harbour in a rather treacherous bay. Today the harbour is home to a few fishing, research and pleasure craft and has regained some of it's picturesque nature. The modern block of flats is built on the site of the former Royal George which was a fishing warehouse and the home of some fishermen. The harbour has needed rennovation many times in its history. At times using stone taken from the ruined cathedral.


Photo: Jim Bews
The origins of the original pier walk are somewhat obscure. Some say it started when students went to the harbour to bid farewell to some dignitary. Another legend is that it commemorates a student, John Honey, who gave his life rescuing people from a shipwreck off the coast. This page will be updated as further information comes to light.
One other legend about the harbour, though not related to the pier walk per se, is that when women were first admitted to the university, male students threw their "mortar board" hats into the sea in protest. To this day male students at St.Andrews University do not wear these hats, even for graduation. For all the chauvinism that such a gesture implies, St. Andrews was still one of the first universities to admit women scholars.

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