A Fruitless Search for a Summer Drinking Spot
Why are there no decent beer gardens in St Andrews?
If anyone read my last article, you’ll know that I was seriously losing patience with the weather in St Andrews. Too much snow and ice was getting me down and I was sick of having to wear half my wardrobe every time I left the house.
In all honesty, it’s not exactly been great since we returned from spring break, and being greeted by a deluge of rain wasn’t exactly what I’d been hoping for. However, last Thursday we were graced with some of the nicest weather so far this year, and with just enough sun to allow me to leave the house without a coat, I am very much in the spring spirit.
With that in mind, I am ready to start searching for my perfect summer hangout spot. Whilst Aikman’s will always be my spiritual home in St Andrews, it’s lack of outdoor space means I am forced to migrate further afield in the warmer months. My British genes mean that as soon as I see that first ray of sunshine, I have a primal need to spend as much time soaking up vitamin D as is humanly possible, and Aikman’s unfortunately does not allow that.
BrewCo and The Central are two strong contenders for runners up when it comes to the list of my favourite drinking establishments in St Andrews, and they both have outdoor seating available. However, the space is limited and there are rarely any free seats, especially is you are with a larger party. They both also have the drawback of their seating being on the pavement, meaning there’s little privacy.
The Westport has a decently sized private beer garden, and the thought of lots of space and some privacy sounds promising. Unfortunately, their garden closes at 6pm, so while it might be great for an afternoon pint, it doesn’t quite fill the hole of late nights in the cellar bar at Aikman’s. The Rule also has a fairly big beer garden, but it is often rowdy, and doesn’t really have the chilled vibe I’m looking for.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I genuinely can’t think of any pubs or bars in this town which have outside drinking spaces to fit my criteria. At this rate, I’ll be better off drinking on the street, although that is, probably for very good reasons, against the law in Scotland.
I was raised on lazy summer evenings in countryside pubs where groups of all ages could bond over pints of cider and inevitable sunburn. It is therefore going to continuously disappoint me that St Andrews doesn’t really have an answer to this. I therefore call on all of you to join me in petitioning the University to provide us with this kind of outdoor drinking space as a matter of urgency. I’d even go as far to suggest striking might be an option if they are unresponsive.
In the meantime, I am left with drinking cans of lager on the rickety plastic chairs in my garden, with the less than appealing view of my neighbor’s bedroom windows, and a lingering smell of weed.