Photos, videos and docs of Amelia, with the keywords: "St.Andrews"

The Old Step Rock Tidal Bathing Pool

nobody@ipernity.com (Amelia) — Sat, 13 Dec 2025 22:11:30 +0000

Amelia has posted:

n 1902, an open air swimming pool was built, located by the cliffs at Step Rock in the bay. A two-storey, concrete building stood above the rear of the pool with changing rooms and a balcony. The pool was divided into two sections by a wide platform and submerged at high tide, flushed out and replenished twice daily. This safe enclosure prevented people from being able to drift too far out into the sea and allowed children to swim under supervision. Tiered seating was added in the late 1930s, and it was used as a swimming pool until 1978. The walls of the open air pool are still visible today, but sadly the site now forms part of St Andrews Aquarium, but it doesn't look that much different now. The Aquarium is undergoing restoration at the moment. I thought maybe it might have been restored as public bathing pool, but no such luck. There would be no money in that.

This PIP photo, taken about 1949 - 1950, is of my Mum, Dad and me, and was taken by a street photographer, a common thing in the 40s and 50s. One was given a ticket and collected the photo a couple of days later. We are marching along to the bathing pool, on what seems to be a chilly day, but I was going for a dook. When I had had a swim, it was cold when I got out the water, but mum had made me what we called a 'chittery bite', a sandwich, which stopped one from shivering - supposedly. It brings back such happy memories of my childhood. I was a late baby, and my father died when I was just 30 and my mother eight years later, so I didn't have a lot of time with them. But the time I did have was so very happy, and with a great sense of freedom.

The long beach in the background, the West Sands, is where I learned to swim, and incidentally features in the opening of the film 'Chariots of Fire'.

We go to Scotland at least once every year, and I rarely miss a visit to St.Andrews, my childhood home

Not such a HFF from St.Andrews

nobody@ipernity.com (Amelia) — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 12:36:21 +0000

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HFF from St.Andrews

nobody@ipernity.com (Amelia) — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 21:38:45 +0000

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I shall be visiting this town and indeed this part of the golf course next week. I am so looking forward to the visit to my childhood home.

Rainbow over the West Sands

nobody@ipernity.com (Amelia) — Wed, 02 Oct 2024 06:51:49 +0000

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The East Sands - my childhood playground

nobody@ipernity.com (Amelia) — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 08:33:31 +0000

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SC80 - Post 28 January - Archive

You may wonder why this is one of my favourite photos of 2023. After all, it is a fairly unremarkable coastal photo with not a lot to commend it. For me though, this takes me back to the late 40s and early 50s when I lived in St.Andrews. I passed this beach every day on the way to school, and visited it almost every day in the school holidays. It represents freedom and so many hours of pleasure, lost in my own little world of shells and seaweed, sounds and smells of the sea, and carefree days. I'd paint some of the shells I found here with water colour paints, and they would eventually return to the beach. Sandcastles with protective moats were built against the ravages of the tides as I stood, like Knut, wishing to control the inevitable destruction, only to start building again the next day.

We walked along this pier so many times, my dad and I, never tiring of the view. Each day was different, the sky, the sea, the weather, the coastal flowers, the birds, and the inevitable crowds of summer visitors who came to play golf in the town and left the women to amuse the children for the day. Yes - it brings back so many happy memories, one of which was even the distinctive smell of calamine lotion, starting pink and soon turning to white on my sunburnt skin. No factor 40 in those days to prevent the UV rays. This is my favourite place in the world. Unremarkable to most, yet I still feel at home here, and lose myself in childhood memories.

The East Sands in St.Andrews.

Scotties by the sea

nobody@ipernity.com (Amelia) — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 20:53:09 +0000

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Meet 'Hoolie Hound,' the vibrant sculpture that's ready to take you on a whirlwind artistic journey along our Scotties By The Sea trail. Crafted by the talented artist Rio Moore.

Decorated by local artists and communities, more than 30 giant Scottie sculptures have appeared across St Andrews & The Northeast Fife Coast. The Scotties are designed to celebrate the communities, culture, and creativity of Northeast Fife, whilst also raising money for Maggie’s Everyone’s Home of Cancer Care – working locally and nationally providing free cancer support and information in centres across the UK and online, and connecting St Andrews all the way down the East Neuk of Fife. The art trail was opened on the 1st of September, and has collected sponsorship money already. The Scotties will be sold to raise more money for the charity. There are smaller Scotties positioned in shops. I only took 3 photos of them, not wanting to spend valuable time in my home town and in The Kingdom searching for dogs. ;-)))

hWW from St.Andrews

nobody@ipernity.com (Amelia) — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 08:21:12 +0000

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I don't know id this sign is showing the mileage to the road bridges or the rail bridges, but I have crossed both many times. The Tay road bridge is being repaired at the moment so we avoided that area.

StAndrews. Christian Institute

nobody@ipernity.com (Amelia) — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 20:12:38 +0000

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The Old Institute building was once the town's Main Post Office, but is now part of the adjacent business property to its left, J&G Innes stationers.

HBM from St.Andrews

nobody@ipernity.com (Amelia) — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 07:13:45 +0000

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Another view along my way to school, with the ruins of St.Rules tower in the background. It's just possible to see the red roof of what was the Fisher School, now a private residence. Some things do change in St.Andrews. Through the railings it's possible to spot the long stretch of the West Sands.

This bench has a marvellous view out to sea, but does not look very comfortable. It wasn't there when I attended the Fisher School in the 40s.

Gulls at the end of the pier.

nobody@ipernity.com (Amelia) — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 22:29:24 +0000

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These herring gulls didn't seem to want to smile for the camera.

HFF from the end of the pier in St.Andrews

nobody@ipernity.com (Amelia) — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 22:29:21 +0000

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Weather a bit dull and windy, but at least it's not raining. We didn't walk on the top deck of the pier, which is showing in the second PiP. I used to do this as a child, in the 40s and 50s, when it was customary for the St.Andrews University students to walk along the pier wearing their distinctive red gowns on Sundays. I don't know if this still happens.

HFF from St.Andrews

nobody@ipernity.com (Amelia) — Fri, 06 Oct 2023 06:42:54 +0000

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The view when I walked to school as a child. I miss this view even now, 70+ years later.

Dum Spiro Spero

nobody@ipernity.com (Amelia) — Mon, 02 Oct 2023 14:53:20 +0000

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Dum spiro spero, which translates to "While I breathe, I hope". At some point, it also became the motto of the town of St Andrews, Scotland, and is visible on heraldry around the town from the mid-19th century onwards.

A dreich day in St.Andrews

nobody@ipernity.com (Amelia) — Tue, 09 May 2023 21:48:45 +0000

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Looking out to the North Sea

nobody@ipernity.com (Amelia) — Wed, 18 Jan 2017 23:58:44 +0000

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The Old Pavilion, St.Andrews

nobody@ipernity.com (Amelia) — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 21:25:55 +0000

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HFF to you all, and stay safe.

According to the website, the Old Pavilion is our newest facility here at the Home of Golf and is located next to the first tee at the Old Course. It offers golfers somewhere to wait in comfort with access to toilets and light refreshments ahead of their tee time. There is also a bag drop facility and information point available for visiting golfers. Single golfers with suitable handicaps who wish to play the Old Course without an existing tee time should check in at the Old Pavilion on the day of play and the staff will do their best to join them with a two or three-ball group. With patience, this can be successful but there are no guarantees. There is a practice putting green alongside this building.

The clause "golfers with suitable handicaps" rules me out. I am just about able to have a good laugh on a 9 hole pitch and put circuit. ;-)

Time for lunch

nobody@ipernity.com (Amelia) — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 21:19:21 +0000

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My childhood playground

nobody@ipernity.com (Amelia) — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 11:07:28 +0000

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For me this beach was endless, the sun always shone, the sea was never too cold to bathe in and there were no caravans parked on the Kinkell Braes. We lived within easy walking distance of the East Sands, and there was rarely a day that I wasn't here, pottering about, collecting shells to paint, or peering into the rock-pools looking at the anemones, small crabs, molluscs and shrimps.

Was I wearing rose tinted glasses? Maybe, but I did have a wonderful childhood.

St.Andrews Castle

nobody@ipernity.com (Amelia) — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 18:09:55 +0000

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In this photo one can see the tidal swimming pool, the West Sands and Tentsmuir Forest in the background.

Castle beach bathing pool

nobody@ipernity.com (Amelia) — Sun, 27 Sep 2020 13:07:23 +0000

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Very handy for going for a quick dook at dinner time, if one attended the Fisher School.
The mist almost obscures the Kinkell Braes caravan site.