The Student Room Group
St Salvators Quad, University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews

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Reply 20
I believe my plan is to get a lift up with my parents, who will drive me to where I'm staying then unload stuff. As for going back, I'll just get some suitcases with wheels, National Express trains have areas for storing luggage.
St Salvators Quad, University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
Reply 21
When i first went to St Andrews my parents sent me up with a driver - they live in Europe so pretty much I had to fly with all my stuff (2 suitcases and a carryon - this was before I even got a laptop so they bought me a big ol computer and had it sent to em in halls) to Edinburgh airport, then the driver met me there and loaded all my stuff into his car.
Mum and dad rented a car in Edinburgh and met me there...I got to town a few days before I could move into halls so we just stayed in the OC for a couple of days with all my stuff stored in their luggage storage bit!

I lived in New Hall so luckily didn't have to move out over Christmas and Easter. Dad got the driver to pick me and a few of my friends up and take us to Edinburgh airport at the end of the year in summer. I'd arranged to share a flat my second year with a girl who had rented a place for the summer in town, so she let me store my stuff in her cupboard and I just went to get it in September before we moved into our new place.

My dad had the driver pick me up from the airport in second year as well, as I don't think he believed there was a train I could get on. By then end of second year he'd bought a flat in town, so I just moved my things there when I moved out of the rental...and since I stayed there the rest of my time at St Andrews, i never had to move again...

Otherwise get a taxi at Edinburgh airport, as it won't cost more that £100 and it's cheaper than renting a car...
LGF92
National Express trains have areas for storing luggage.


I don't know if National Express have a separate luggage carriage, but as a warning to others: Scotrail, Transpennine Express and Virgin don't normally have one and the luggage racks are normally stuffed full by the time you get on the train so be warned!

rhod's_cat
Otherwise get a taxi at Edinburgh airport, as it won't cost more that £100 and it's cheaper than renting a car...


Or, you know, get the train/bus then you're looking at less than half that price.
Reply 23
la_banane_verte
I don't know if National Express have a separate luggage carriage, but as a warning to others: Scotrail, Transpennine Express and Virgin don't normally have one and the luggage racks are normally stuffed full by the time you get on the train so be warned!



Or, you know, get the train/bus then you're looking at less than half that price.


Might be a bit of a mission with loads of bags/suitcases etc!
Reply 24
Best bet to me is get the train. If you book about a month in advance, you can get London Kings Cross to Dundee for £25 with no train changes, if your coming from England, you basically want a train going to Aberdeen, this will stop at Dundee which is 13 miles away and there is a bus.
Rakas21
Best bet to me is get the train. If you book about a month in advance, you can get London Kings Cross to Dundee for £25 with no train changes, if your coming from England, you basically want a train going to Aberdeen, this will stop at Dundee which is 13 miles away and there is a bus.


Leuchars is a better place to stop at than Dundee, it's on the exact same bus route only about 20 mins closer to St Andrews.
Btw if you plan to get the train to Dundee then get the bus from Dundee, the train station and bus station are quite far apart so be prepared to either get a taxi or get lost carrying loads of luggage. An alternative is to get the train to Dundee, then get a train from Dundee to Leuchars then get the bus straight from Leuchars train station to St Andrews bus station :smile:
Reply 27
Ecosse_14
Btw if you plan to get the train to Dundee then get the bus from Dundee, the train station and bus station are quite far apart so be prepared to either get a taxi or get lost carrying loads of luggage. An alternative is to get the train to Dundee, then get a train from Dundee to Leuchars then get the bus straight from Leuchars train station to St Andrews bus station :smile:


Yes, that would be better, or if your coming from England, get the train to Leuchars from Edinborugh, though i am not sure whether it would take longer because it will probably be one of those minor trains that stops everywhere on the way, would probably work out a little cheaper though.

Anybody know how frequent the buses are to Dundee and Leuchars, and is there a free city bus in Dundee??
Rakas21
Yes, that would be better, or if your coming from England, get the train to Leuchars from Edinborugh, though i am not sure whether it would take longer because it will probably be one of those minor trains that stops everywhere on the way, would probably work out a little cheaper though.

Anybody know how frequent the buses are to Dundee and Leuchars, and is there a free city bus in Dundee??


There are plenty of trains that don't stop everywhere along the way and just do Waverly-Haymarket-Leuchars.

The bus (stagecoach 99 http://www.stagecoachbus.com/timetables.aspx?serviceid=1324&locationId=140&from=&to=&locval=174 ) is roughly every 15 mins. There is no free bus in Dundee (I can't really think quite why you would need one...).
Reply 29
I went London Kings Cross (got on at Newcastle) to Edinburgh, switched at Edinburgh to the train going to Inverurie, and got off at Leuchars followed by a bus to St Andrews.
Reply 30
LGF92
I went London Kings Cross (got on at Newcastle) to Edinburgh, switched at Edinburgh to the train going to Inverurie, and got off at Leuchars followed by a bus to St Andrews.


1 an hour from Kings Cross usually stops at Leuchars
So I am going to be leaving from Florida for Scotland. I see much advice for people who arrive to St Andrews from nearby but I wonder if there is any advice international students could give regarding luggage and travel to st Andrews. From what I was reading, taxi is the fastest, bus has the best scenery and train is less expensive than taxi alone but would still require a taxi ride to the train station. If I can afford it I will probably just take a taxi but does anyone think it would be better to take the bus (although it would be 2 hours?), since I would love to see the actual scenery.

I am going to be studying for an MLitt in the English school so I was kind of hoping to take some books with me that I have here but obviously when I say this to people they think I am nuts. Should I just keep it to the basics? Clothing, bedding and electronics (like laptop, for instance?). I am going to bring at least 4 to 5 books with me and if possible have some sent afterwards but I just wonder how it all works with the weight of the luggage and obviously the actual travel to st andrews (i am but a single woman who can't pull more than 2 to 3 large suitcases at a time! :biggrin:)

Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Reply 32
ViewlessWings
So I am going to be leaving from Florida for Scotland. I see much advice for people who arrive to St Andrews from nearby but I wonder if there is any advice international students could give regarding luggage and travel to st Andrews. From what I was reading, taxi is the fastest, bus has the best scenery and train is less expensive than taxi alone but would still require a taxi ride to the train station. If I can afford it I will probably just take a taxi but does anyone think it would be better to take the bus (although it would be 2 hours?), since I would love to see the actual scenery.

I am going to be studying for an MLitt in the English school so I was kind of hoping to take some books with me that I have here but obviously when I say this to people they think I am nuts. Should I just keep it to the basics? Clothing, bedding and electronics (like laptop, for instance?). I am going to bring at least 4 to 5 books with me and if possible have some sent afterwards but I just wonder how it all works with the weight of the luggage and obviously the actual travel to st andrews (i am but a single woman who can't pull more than 2 to 3 large suitcases at a time! :biggrin:)

Any advice is greatly appreciated.


If you're landing at Edinburgh airport, get the airport bus to the city centre from out the front (it's about £3 single), get off at the train station (Waverley), then get a train going to Leuchars (£5 or so, might be best to book in advance at www.nationalrail.co.uk). Get off at Leuchars, head down the staircase and there's a bus shelter. Wait until a bus going to St. Andrews (there's a few) arrives, get on (there's plenty of room) - it's about £3 again - and get off in St Andrews. Even coming from Northern England, I'm doing two "runs" - one with the basic stuff on the 18th and my parents are driving up the rest on the 25th. So posting it might be a good but expensive idea.
Reply 33
Damn, all this talk is making me miss St Andrews, first year flew by way too quickly.
Reply 34
Alternatively if you are getting the train, just wait at the taxi rank and ask folk if they fancy sharing a taxi - there's always folk heading to St Andrews!
I'm coming from Australia to start this Sept' (very Hogswartian to us Southern Hemispherers) and this is what I have done / the plan -

a) I shipped a few boxes of stuff a few weeks ago - a couple of small boxes of books, clothing, and, y'know, like a teacup, amongst other impracticable flying gear) which should arrive the day before halls open, for the purposes of
b) collection and storage in the car that my parents have rented for something of a pre-tour of Ireland / Scotland before term starts. And ergo that gear will be
c) transferred to Chattan the next day. Ba da bing, ba da boom.

Don't let the bravado fool you, the thought of my books moulding over the Atlantic sea ain't soothing by any means.
Reply 36
Ayla Phoenix

c) transferred to Chattan the next day. Ba da bing, ba da boom.

.


I was in Chattan last year, and a lot of my friends are staying on there this year, so I know you'll have a good welcome :biggrin: I loved it.
duracell
I was in Chattan last year, and a lot of my friends are staying on there this year, so I know you'll have a good welcome :biggrin: I loved it.


:top2:

Cheers!

Were you shared?
Reply 38
Ayla Phoenix
:top2:

Cheers!

Were you shared?


Yeah, unfortunately wasn't too lucky with my roommate (it was pretty awful at times) but I was definitely the exception to the rule - all of my friends got on well with their roommates.
Reply 39
Ayla Phoenix
I'm coming from Australia to start this Sept' (very Hogswartian to us Southern Hemispherers) and this is what I have done / the plan -

a) I shipped a few boxes of stuff a few weeks ago - a couple of small boxes of books, clothing, and, y'know, like a teacup, amongst other impracticable flying gear) which should arrive the day before halls open, for the purposes of
b) collection and storage in the car that my parents have rented for something of a pre-tour of Ireland / Scotland before term starts. And ergo that gear will be
c) transferred to Chattan the next day. Ba da bing, ba da boom.

Don't let the bravado fool you, the thought of my books moulding over the Atlantic sea ain't soothing by any means.


From the same patch of grass as me then? You're going to love it! My first year just went past way too fast :frown: I miss it already :frown:

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