Eighteen Holes At St Andrews

My parents first took me to Scotland when I was seven years old.  Sister Kay fell out of the top bunk and broke her collar bone but I didn't wake up.  What I want to know is, why, for so many years, did my Dad not take me putting on this unbelievable green at St Andrews?


It's called the Himalayas and is owned by St Andrews Ladies Putting Club.  The course is bonkers, with more undulations than you'd think sensible. Most surprising of all, a round costs just £2 for an adult and £1 for juniors. This makes it easily the cheapest attraction in Scotland and far and away the best value for money.  The first picture shows Samuel chilling next to the eighteenth green of the Old Course, shortly after we'd had a picnic and a seagull pinched my sandwich out of my hand!  All good fun.


Subsequent pictures show each hole, to try to give you an impression of this loony-tunes putting green.  For the record, Dad completed in 53 strokes.  And there can't be many ten year olds who have completed eighteen holes on the Old Course in 67!  When I win the lottery I am shipping the whole family to St Andrews for a two day Family Putting Open Championship. In the afternoons we shall play on the beach and watch the Eurofighters from Leuchars circling overhead.

The eighteenth at St Andrews, on a beautiful day in bonny Scotland.

Hole 1. A gentle starter. Nearly flat.

Hole 2. There's a ridge halfway, another near the cup, and it looks miles away!

The third. Big hill on the right means a big break from that side, hard to get anywhere near the flag.

Hole 4 is not too scary, aim straight for the flag and you have a chance.

Hole 5 is over a tall ridge, and there's another ridge behind the hole to stop your shot running too far.

The sixth is deceptively dodgy, it looks like you just have one slope to negotiate but the whole thing is angles and ridges.

Hole 7 is a loooooong one. The flag is miles away, AND tucked behind two ridges which are very hard to read. Go straight for the hole!  I hope the photos give some impression of the lumpiness of this Most Excellent putting green.

The eighth is a brilliant challenge. Huge hill to the right, steep slope on the left. Do you try to run down from the left of scale the heights on the right?  The answer is that both approaches are doomed to failure. If you can get within three metres you've done well! Great hole.

Number 9 is another very long shot, not made any easier by the hill in front of the hole. There's also a wicked slope away from the hole behind it, which will drag your ball into the rough if you go a centimetre too far. Brilliant, and testing.

Hole 10. The road shot. It is not only a long way to hit the ball but the hole is just over the top of a crown. The biggest problem is the tarmac, which diverts your shot in random directions, leaving you with really weird second shots.

Hole 11.  Over the path again, with the same random bounce off the asphalt. The hole is almost flat for a change, but you don't know where your ricochet off the pathway will leave you.

Hole 12 is really tough. You putt off the top of a hill, over another hill, which is at a much weirder angle than it looks. Plus it's a lot steeper than you think.

This isn't a hole on the putting green, it's a picture of Sam, club in hand, with the eighteenth fairway and green behind him, plus the famous St Andrews clubhouse (the lower building on the left). A constant hazard on The Himalayas is from wayward shots by players negotiating the first hole of the Old Course. Every now and then you hear "FORE, RIGHT", and then it's time to turn away and hope you don't get whacked.

Unlucky 13. The flag is half hidden by the monstrous hump in front of it. It's nearly impossible to just creep over the crest and trickle down anywhere near the hole.

Hole 14. A very long shot that this picture shows as flat, but there's a huge break from the right. Which is probably why both Sam and Dad's shots ended up out of shot on the left!

Hole 15. It's a kind of valley that you have to zig-zag along. Devious.

Hole 16. The final three holes definitely give you a little break from the madness. 16 is a long hole but you're safe if you charge at the flag.

Seventeen is one of the flattest holes on the course.

Just when you think it's over the final hole is a real beauty. The pin is atop a plateau with steep sides and a small surface area. It's a great way to remember The Himalayas, our new favourite place in Scotland.

The rules and regulations.

Playing times.

We cannot recommend The Himalayas highly enough. What a fabulous place. We WILL be returning and we hope to take the whole family with us!

19 August 2013 - Edinburgh Military Tattoo

After a day exploring the castle and enjoying the Festival Fringe we were lucky enough to have tickets for the Edinburgh Military Tattoo.  I KNOW that readers of this blog have been waiting for this post, so here you are. We queued down Johnston Terrace as per usual, and said a sad farewell to a lovely young woman as we did so.

Bagpipes suck! But only when it's one solitary piper busking in a shopping centre. Sam and Dad both love the massed pipes and drums of the Tattoo.

This year's theme was Scotland Through Time, and the castle was illuminated throughout, here it's winter.

The show this year opened with a sprinkling of musicians and lots of sry ice smoke.

The South Korean traditional band were fabulous, and their dragon was very amusing, including cocking a leg.  Big drums mean big noise, excellent!

Sam's favourite act was The Imps motorcycle display team, scary crossover moves, jumps, and riders as young a 8 years old. Sam now wants to join The Imps.

It was a real treat to see Mexico's military band, there were loads of them! Great music and great dancing, and they were the only band to make the seating vibrate as they marched off.

The New Zealand band were very entertaining, performing many genres of music from Star Wars to Wagner.  They performed the Haka too. Here you can see them dancing Gang-nam style!

The whole cast gather in the arena at the end of the performance, and it's impossible to not feel emotional as the lone piper plays on the castle ramparts.  Sam felt sad thinking about past events but a big cuddle helped. As the bands march out you really wish the show was starting over again.

The final illumination of the castle was a message we really should take notice of.

Of all the places and events we visit in Scotland, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo is THE one we recommend you to go to.  But book early, tickets are very hard to get hold of.

19 August 2013 - Edinburgh Fringe

We were in Edinburgh, and it's Festival time.  Last time we were there we saw a couple of street performers, and decided that we would dive a bit deeper into the Fringe culture this year.

Our favourite act was Todd Various, a pottymouth American with a nice line in circus acts....

He was listed as "Various" on the programme, so we had thought it would be several acts, not just one bloke.  Very entertaining though.

Our next favourite was Antoine from France. A high-wire act, with knives and "monocycle".  His act was goofy and a lot of fun.

When he asked for children to lie down under his rope, they did! Which Antoine claimed was the first the ever, in 1000 shows....

This is a German bloke who whizzed round in a metal ring.  He was skilful but completely unfunny. Therefore perfectly German.

Worst of all were Strangely Jeremiah. A poorly rehearsed and badly executed juggling act. Oh dear.

We had a LOT of fun on the Royal Mile, investigating the Fringe.  So many bonkers people performing so many random acts. We absolutely loved wandering through the madness. Fiddler playing for his life in front of the muppets?

"Woke up this morning, found myself in bed...."

Some of the performers we saw were really good.

Where else might you see a bunch of mummies having a smoke next to two cowboys, while listening to a samurai warrior one man band?

Some days you're the statue, some days you're the pigeon.

The day was improved even further when a special friend treated us to tea at Hard Rock Cafe. Fantastic food, and lovely company. Thank you.

19 August 2013 - Edinburgh Castle

A lazy start to our day eventually led us to Edinburgh Castle....

A wonky selfie on Castle Esplanade.

The architecture in all the places we've visited is grand, austere and inpressive. And at Edinburgh Castle there's an interesting facade around every corner.

Ah, the compulsory "sitting on a cannon" picture. You knew it was coming!

If the large scale features don't float your boat there are so many fine details to spot and appreciate. This panel was placed here in the same year that Madonna had her first UK number one single.

Floating suits of armour anyone? These boys would be no good in the League Cup, all matches are played over two legs, badum!

There are plenty of reminders of the castle's grim and gory past. James Tower is spooky and atmospheric, even Dad felt on edge.

The Great Hall is better than just great, it's extraordinary. Who knew that it was shipwrights who were used to pin vaulted ceilings up back in the day?

We were determined to view the One O'clock Gun being fired. We took up post under the perimeter chain and ate dinner while we waited. As we waited a pigeon came hopping along, enjoying the empty space and acting like Billy Big-Potatoes....

The gunner appeared and did her marching around thang....pigeon still thinking he was ruling the roost....

Gun went BANG and the pigeon absolutely crapped itself! Hilarious! That'll learn him....

On the way out we paused to view the spot from where we'd watch the Military Tattoo later that day....Edinburgh Castle is good, but in our opinion, a poor second place to Stirling for "castle-ness".