greenock to st andrews???

[peony1]

I will be arriving on Celebrity Silhouette on June 16 in Greenock. I am trying to find a private tour company that goes to St Andrews for the day. There seems to be very few and also none with reviews on trip advisor. Also the companies seem to want the money in advance- not like the ones we used in Italy. Any suggestions??

[baggal]

I can't help with a specific tour company to St. Andrews but I can tell you that most, if not all private tour companies on the British Isles itineraries require payment in advance - as opposed to tour companies in Italy and other European countries.

 

I just checked my papers from last summer's cruise. The port for St. Andrews is Invergordon - on the east coast of Scotland. Greenock is on the west coast.

[sailing canary]

...the port for St. Andrews is Invergordon - on the east coast of Scotland. Greenock is on the west coast

 

Are you sure about that? Edinburgh/Leith is much closer. Invergordon to St Andrews is almost 4 hours one way by road.

 

As to tours from Greenock, that will take almost 2 1/2 hours by road. Do you have any particular reason for St Andrews as there are many other more accessible places from Greenock? :)

[peony1]

Hi,

 

Yes....

 

 

I do know the port which Celebrity Silhouette stops at- and it is Greenock. The time that it takes from Greenock to Edinburgh is about the same as from Greenock to St Andrews. As my husband is very much into golf he wants to go to St Andrews and see the old course etc.

[sailing canary]

hi

It was the other poster's reference to Invergordon I was querying, not your Greenock one!:D

 

Have you tried looking for something from Glasgow, or even car rental and do it yourself? How long do you have in Greenock?

[peony1]

we are there from 8-6

[prish]

As my husband is very much into golf he wants to go to St Andrews and see the old course etc.

 

I can see that, we were in Edinburgh pre-cruise a few years back and DH absolutely had to go to St Andrews, we couldn't get him a slot to play but he did get to putt and was in hog heaven:D Actually, I enjoyed the visit a lot too, the course is beautiful, as is the town itself.

 

Will be in Greenock with my sister this August and she wants to go to Edinburgh, Celebrity has a shuttle but am looking for some other means of transportation, maybe the train...

[Ine]

We were in Greenock last August on ms. Rotterdam. Before arrival I checked for some tours, I remember seeing one with a private driver to St. Andrews. Unfortunately I didnot save their website. However I still have a website of free tours in Greenock. Why ot send them an e-mail and ask them for help, they might know who does tours to St. Andrews.

http://www.inverclydetouristgroup.co.uk/content/activities/

[Globaliser]

we are there from 8-6

So allowing for how long it would take to get off the ship, and the time you'd need to be back on board the ship, plus a small bit of margin, you've got about 8 hours ashore. Do you really want to spend 5 of those hours sitting in a car just going to St Andrews and back? It doesn't leave you much time to see any of the place, and there is so much to see there.

[peony1]

but if we don't do that and go to Edinburgh we will still be on a bus for quit some time- one is 3 hr roundtrip and the other is a little over 4 hrs - Do any of you play golf?as I was doing this for my husband...... Also one company wanted me to wire money as a deposit and later as a final payment?? Which I really don't want to do

[scottie99]

but if we don't do that and go to Edinburgh we will still be on a bus for quit some time- one is 3 hr roundtrip and the other is a little over 4 hrs - Do any of you play golf?as I was doing this for my husband...... Also one company wanted me to wire money as a deposit and later as a final payment?? Which I really don't want to do

 

I play golf, in fact I am playing St Andrews on Tuesday.

 

I would urge you to rethink. If you have 8 hours ashore it's just too tight. I live just outside glasgow on the east side and it will take me 1.5 hours to drive to St Andrews. Even if traffic is light, you will do well to get from Greenock to there in 2 hours 45 mins. The last 20 miles is non motorway and inevitably you will get stuck behind a tractor or slow moving truck. Going back to the ship, you will be hitting Glasgow rush hour traffic.

 

There are other Open venues on the Ayrshire Coast (Turnberry, Royal Troon, Prestwick) but I appreciate they don't hav the charisma of St Andrews

 

I would suggest get a train from Greenock to Edinburgh, changing at Glasgow. Edinburgh is a beautiful city with so much to see.

[peony1]

Thank you very much I really do appreciate your thoughts and knowledge of our not having enough time... Perhaps it will be Edinburgh for now. (he really did want to see St Andrews):

Ellen

[peony1]

Hi Scottie,

 

You did realize he didn't want to play golf - just see the course, visit the town etc.

[bconley351]

Last August we used Starfish Taxi Tours for a trip from Edinburgh to St Andrews. I don't recall paying in advance, but can check through my old emails. We visited on a Sunday, which is the day the Old Course is closed for play, so we did a guided walking tour of the course. After the tour we went to Anstruther for lunch, then to Edinburgh for some shopping time. We were back to port well before the last tender. Some others on our sailing played at another of the St Andrews courses.

If you want further info, let me know.

[scottie99]

Hi Scottie,

 

You did realize he didn't want to play golf - just see the course, visit the town etc.

 

Yes, I did realise that

[scottie99]

Last August we used Starfish Taxi Tours for a trip from Edinburgh to St Andrews. I don't recall paying in advance, but can check through my old emails. We visited on a Sunday, which is the day the Old Course is closed for play, so we did a guided walking tour of the course. After the tour we went to Anstruther for lunch, then to Edinburgh for some shopping time. We were back to port well before the last tender. Some others on our sailing played at another of the St Andrews courses.

If you want further info, let me know.

 

If the cruise had berthed at Edinburgh, St. Andrews then becomes fairly easy, but unfortunately not from Greenock.

[ScotsLady]

I will be arriving on Celebrity Silhouette on June 16 in Greenock. I am trying to find a private tour company that goes to St Andrews for the day. There seems to be very few and also none with reviews on trip advisor. Also the companies seem to want the money in advance- not like the ones we used in Italy. Any suggestions??

Hi, try Ultimate Scottish Tours, http://www.ultimatescottishtours.com. You do not have to pay in advance, my friends used them last year.

Greenock to St Andrews will take approx 2 hours 20 mins by car. It is closer from the Edinburgh ports but still doable from Greenock.

[Globaliser]

but if we don't do that and go to Edinburgh we will still be on a bus for quit some time- one is 3 hr roundtrip and the other is a little over 4 hrs

Personally, I wouldn't go to Edinburgh from Greenock either, for the same reason.

[Ine]

Personally, I wouldn't go to Edinburgh from Greenock either, for the same reason.

 

During our cruise tours were offered a.o. to the Edinburgh tattoo, while we docked in Greenock.

[Peteymil]

Last August we used Starfish Taxi Tours for a trip from Edinburgh to St Andrews. I don't recall paying in advance, but can check through my old emails. We visited on a Sunday, which is the day the Old Course is closed for play, so we did a guided walking tour of the course. After the tour we went to Anstruther for lunch, then to Edinburgh for some shopping time. We were back to port well before the last tender. Some others on our sailing played at another of the St Andrews courses.

If you want further info, let me know.

 

Do you remember the cost?

[scottie99]

Personally, I wouldn't go to Edinburgh from Greenock either, for the same reason.

 

No, I wouldn't either, but as a Glaswegian I accept that Edinburgh would be more interesting to a tourist than glasgow.

 

It is then down to a fairly easy train journey