A Night Out in St Andrews

So what exactly does St Andrews have to offer in the way of nightlife?

I hear it has more pubs per square km than anywhere else in UK. However what are they like? - Studenty/full of old men?

So there are no "nightclubs" as such....what about bars with dancefloors that stay open late :P? - Any of those?

What is the "bop" like - im getting mixed reviews :cool:

?

How arduous is trip to dundee's nightlife? - Where im from its a 30minute bus journey to Edinburgh's nightlife so I am used to long bus journeys. Also can you give any information on last bus back to St A's etc?

Thanks so Much.

Oh and before you have a go :wink:

- I have read the other threads - im just looking for some more specific details, and I have visited - never stayed for the night, hence my lack of knowledge.

Reply 1

ellisbell33

3

St Andrews nightlife is truly unique. Yes, its true that we have more pubs per square km. There are a nice mix of pubs and bars to suit every taste and occasion, from the more hip student haunts like The Rule and The Vic, to the more down to earth Drouthy's or The Whey Pat (which are technically old man pubs, but students love them too and the Whey Pat has the best nachos in town). Many of the pubs are hotel bars, but some are very good and not just full of golfers, for example 1 Golf Place and the One Under are popular with students. For the 'higher class' of student (aka yahs) theres Catch and Ma Bells, which are nice but can be pricey.

Nightclub wise we are a little disadvantaged. Theres The Lizard, which is probably the same size as most people's front rooms but is the closest thing outside the Union to a nightclub. One to avoid on a Saturday night though due to high concentration of locals.

The Bop ain't all that bad if you've had enough to drink and have good company. Its the biggest venue to dance in so attracts enough people. Bop pervs are also the funniest in the town, and the bar is pretty good with its cheap drinks. The music tends to be a good mix of classics and new stuff, and if you get bored you can always venture into the Main bar for a spot of pool.

Dundee is pretty easy to get to. The Raisin (which is one of the best pubs in town for good quality, cheap food) does a bus every wednesday night that costs £7 for the return journey and entry into Fat Sams, the best student nightclub in Dundee. Liquid is right next to Fat Sams too so easy enough to get to if Fat Sams isn't your cup of tea. Halls of residence also run trips to the nightclubs once or twice a semester too, for example Uni Hall runs approx 2 or 3 trips a semester to Fat Sams and DRA hires out the whole of liquid for its residents sometimes.

Theres also a new scheme that takes people to Edinburgh on a Friday night, but spaces are always limited and highly sought after. In terms of normal buses, the last one to st a's from dundee is around midnight, and the last train from edinburgh is about the same, so don't provide the longest of nights out, but are useful for concerts/gigs/plays.

One last thing: You'll learn to love the humble but drunken house party. They are prob the most likely place you'll start your night and end it in St Andrews.

Hope thats helpful :smile:

Reply 2

fg08

8

House parties are sooooo cool. Oh wow I cant wait to start university.

Reply 3

Real Deep

Stating that Ma Bells and Catch are for 'yahs' is ********. If you like a semblance of decent / contemporary dance music then they're the only option. I dj and am personally involved in a night, which'll hopefully continue thereafter, at Ma Bells late April with relevant dubstep / tech-house. Catch has had Bassface a couple of times this year, which too has offered some good dubstep / dancehall vibes.

Fat Sams has a lot of St Andrews business: Dundee's easy to get to a pre-drink on the bus, whilst a taxi back is like £5 p.p, so it's really not bad. The Reading Rooms gets no recognition on this board from what I've seen, but again, if you're into relevant dance / hip hop / techno whatever you want to call it, it's actually quite superb. A resident there should have some music released on Fake Blood's new label. (of Mars / I Think I Like It / Fix Your Accent fame..), which demonstrates the standard there. Recently they've had the likes of Mt Kimbie and Erol Alkan down there; very reasonably priced and a place that would be worth its salt somewhere like London, never mind Dundee.

The Union is terrible. STAR radio runs a night on Fridays which is okay, and the music in the bar area some Fridays is okay. Considering the size of the University population and how active it is in other areas (i.e. student elections) the amount of people they get in for Bop events and such is woeful. They really offer no alternative, and the sum total of acts that have come into the university has been a really half-arsed Calvin Harris dj set, and a member of the Editors ambling down to do a dj set. Not exactly what would come to mind from 'djs', but there you go. I see no reason why it can't strike up a greater chord with Fat Sams or such, and have the likes of Simian down in St Andrews earlier in the same night they do Dundee. I've found most other Student Unions, who don't have nearly such a lucrative student pool to draw upon, to put St Andrews to shame in that regard.

I've got down to Glasgow for a few nights and love the city. I think it's £10 by coach, but if you've friends to stay with down there and like a top night out it's worth it.

I've enjoyed this year, as even if around town can get a little mundane, there are plenty of good nights if you can be bothered spending a little effort getting to them.

Reply 4

marlowe92

Real Deep

Stating that Ma Bells and Catch are for 'yahs' is ********. If you like a semblance of decent / contemporary dance music then they're the only option. I dj and am personally involved in a night, which'll hopefully continue thereafter, at Ma Bells late April with relevant dubstep / tech-house. Catch has had Bassface a couple of times this year, which too has offered some good dubstep / dancehall vibes.

Fat Sams has a lot of St Andrews business: Dundee's easy to get to a pre-drink on the bus, whilst a taxi back is like £5 p.p, so it's really not bad. The Reading Rooms gets no recognition on this board from what I've seen, but again, if you're into relevant dance / hip hop / techno whatever you want to call it, it's actually quite superb. A resident there should have some music released on Fake Blood's new label. (of Mars / I Think I Like It / Fix Your Accent fame..), which demonstrates the standard there. Recently they've had the likes of Mt Kimbie and Erol Alkan down there; very reasonably priced and a place that would be worth its salt somewhere like London, never mind Dundee.

The Union is terrible. STAR radio runs a night on Fridays which is okay, and the music in the bar area some Fridays is okay. Considering the size of the University population and how active it is in other areas (i.e. student elections) the amount of people they get in for Bop events and such is woeful. They really offer no alternative, and the sum total of acts that have come into the university has been a really half-arsed Calvin Harris dj set, and a member of the Editors ambling down to do a dj set. Not exactly what would come to mind from 'djs', but there you go. I see no reason why it can't strike up a greater chord with Fat Sams or such, and have the likes of Simian down in St Andrews earlier in the same night they do Dundee. I've found most other Student Unions, who don't have nearly such a lucrative student pool to draw upon, to put St Andrews to shame in that regard.

I've got down to Glasgow for a few nights and love the city. I think it's £10 by coach, but if you've friends to stay with down there and like a top night out it's worth it.

I've enjoyed this year, as even if around town can get a little mundane, there are plenty of good nights if you can be bothered spending a little effort getting to them.

Do people frequently go to Edinburgh for a night out? It's a fantastic city, and apparently only an hour away from St A's, but I've never heard anyone discuss it

Reply 5

L i b

19

Real Deep

Fat Sams has a lot of St Andrews business: Dundee's easy to get to a pre-drink on the bus, whilst a taxi back is like £5 p.p, so it's really not bad. The Reading Rooms gets no recognition on this board from what I've seen, but again, if you're into relevant dance / hip hop / techno whatever you want to call it, it's actually quite superb. A resident there should have some music released on Fake Blood's new label. (of Mars / I Think I Like It / Fix Your Accent fame..), which demonstrates the standard there. Recently they've had the likes of Mt Kimbie and Erol Alkan down there; very reasonably priced and a place that would be worth its salt somewhere like London, never mind Dundee.

Yes, I've never really understood the San Andrean fascination with Fat Sam's. Realistically, I'd expect many would far prefer the Reading Rooms or even the University of Dundee's Union.

Then again, maybe things have improved in the years since I last saw the inside of Fat Sam's. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad club really - it's far better than some of the ****-but-popular ones you'll find in Glasgow - but it's hardly the be-all and end-all.

Again, haven't been to the Reading Rooms in a long time, so it might have changed, but it was terrific when I was a young 'un.

Reply 6

Spears

OP

Thanks for all the great replies :biggrin:

. This is actually looking quite hopeful :P. St Andrews has such a bad reputation for nightlife, but you would think that seeing that a third of the population are students, it would be really quite awesome.

Dundee sounds good, easy to get to, and relatively cheap to get home (£2 more than it costs me now). I live in edinburgh and I'll confirm what someone was querying above in that edinburgh has a really really good nightlife. Although getting down here from st a's would a bit of an effort and you would need to stay with rents/friends.

Im very close to accepting St Andrews. I have to choose between St A's or Glasgow...hmmmmm. Feel through to express your opinions :P

Reply 7

Real Deep

As I said, I love Glasgow the city, but personally would never swap the university for St Andrews. I've been to Cab. Voltaire in Edinburgh, which is great, though not whilst at St Andrews. I know of a few groups of people who've done a night in Edinburgh then simply waited for the first bus/train at around 5. Again, different tastes.

St Andrews does have a bad repuation for nightlife, but then which of the top universities don't? Durham has nothing to it, and Warwick hardly buzzing. The only top universities which would come to mind as having a really diverse nightlife would be the London ones and Bristol. Though there's no reason why the Union, with tweaks, couldn't massively improve St Andrews by making the slightest effort on getting the sort of acts in that people are willing to spend a night sleeping rough in Edinburgh, or a round trip to Dundee, for example, to see.

Reply 8

0404343m

17

Spears

Thanks for all the great replies :biggrin:

. This is actually looking quite hopeful :P. St Andrews has such a bad reputation for nightlife, but you would think that seeing that a third of the population are students, it would be really quite awesome.

Dundee sounds good, easy to get to, and relatively cheap to get home (£2 more than it costs me now). I live in edinburgh and I'll confirm what someone was querying above in that edinburgh has a really really good nightlife. Although getting down here from st a's would a bit of an effort and you would need to stay with rents/friends.

Im very close to accepting St Andrews. I have to choose between St A's or Glasgow...hmmmmm. Feel through to express your opinions :P

I've had some cracking nights out in St Andrews, and been to a few amazing house parties- it's a nice place. I compensated for everything shutting earlier by drinking earlier, normally we'd start around 9.30 and finish at 3, so we just hit the pub for 7pm instead. Dundee is also decent.

That being said, I couldn't have spent four years at university in either of them- but that's maybe just me. I have an unconditional, funded, PhD offer at St Andrews, and I still, having seen my days of clubbing four days a week disappear a 2-3 years ago, don't think I could. Plenty could though- but St Andrews is an acquired taste, usually you'll either see love or hate expressed for it, I think I'm probably around as balanced as it comes on TSR.

What I would say is: Don't get hung up on reputation. St Andrew's has did exceptionally well for itself in the last decade or so- rising up the rankings to threaten and be in the top 5 from a position much closer to where Aberdeen is now in the mid 90s. What you have to remember, and this isn't an easy thing when you're leaving school- is rankings change, and these places have been around for several hundred years. Anyone over the age of 35, so still a junior on their career, would have went to university without league tables as an 'aid' (or, more accurately, hindrance). Employers aren't as black and white as this either. St Andrews is excellent- but, statistically, it's also the third highest proportion of the best-earning families that go there, and this has leaped in the last 10 years, and statistically, these people are fairly well connected whatever university they went to. I'd express caution against thinking St Andrews is top 5 and carries a prestige and employment advantage over lots of other places, because the stats don't back that up. It's often hard to get this through to school leavers though. The most important thing is you go and enjoy the university experience and come out with a good and useful degree and get a good education. I think Glasgow, Edinburgh, St Andrews and maybe a couple of other places in Scotland all offer that- in vastly different locations. The location and the four years at university should be the most important thing. I don't think it carries a reputational advantage over Glasgow or Edinburgh certainly- so that shouldn't be the deciding factor. Besides, in 20 years time when you might actually need that degree, those rankings could all have changed. Nottingham is a testament to that one- It's clearly not any worse or better than it was when it was 6th in a newspaper, and now it's outside the top 20.

Reply 9

_Bright Eyes

14

If you like heavy music, rocsoc every other Thursday is awesome. House parties are usually really fun too. Anywhere can be made fun with the right company :smile:

Reply 10

Spears

OP

Fun = The right people + Good music + The right quantity of alcohol.

I think I can find/provide this in St Andrews.....hmmm decision time :P

A Night Out in St Andrews

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