St Andrews is a destination for tourists, students, and so many more. Our town has a large commuting contingent from the towns and villages around about. And on the sunny east side of the country, it really is more pleasant than you’d think, getting fresh air, exercise, and saving money commuting by bike!
We’ve put some routes and guidance for anyone interested in commuting to St Andrews by bike.
- From Dundee, Tayport and Wormit
- From Cupar, Ceres and Pitscottie
- From Crail, Kingsbarns and Largoward
Tips
- Start small
- Ride in one direction and get public transport or lift-share back, reversing the procedure the next day
- Try out your route at the weekend and get a feel for it, but be aware Saturday at 11am may be different to 8am on a Tuesday morning
- Logistics
- Where will you securely store your bike? Will you store the lock in the office (save weight)?
- Do you have/will you need somewhere to shower and change?
- Store a change of clothes/items in the office to save weight and if it rains. Particularly important to have a pair of shoes!
- Kit
- Good kit will make your commute nicer, but get started with what you’ve got
- Summer and winter riding have quite different requirements. Comfort is key to enjoyment; keeping warm in autumn and winter is equally important to keeping cool in summer. Layers are great, always think to pack one extra so you can add one.
- A good reliable pair of lights if riding in low light are invaluable
- Warm hands and warm feet – everything else gets warm by pedalling. Good gloves, and grab a pair of overshoes if your toes get cold
- A mechanical will happen one day. Be prepared by keeping a regular eye on maintenance, especially around tyres and chain, and have what you need to fix a puncture with you
- It’s not all or nothing
- Like start small, once per week is better than none…
- If it’s raining cats and dogs, it’s ok to get the bus. But you’ll soon notice on the east coast it rains far less than you imagine!
Our chair, Richard before switching to home working used to commute 5-days a week between St Andrews and Dundee. He says his commute went from something he tolerated (car and bus), to something he looked forward to (bike), and something he misses now he doesn’t have the bookends to his day to decompress and take in the fresh air and exercise.