St. Andrews has been a pilgrimage destination for nearly 2,000 years. In the Middle Ages, pilgrims came to venerate St. Andrew, whose bones were likely moved to town in the fourth century. Wearing capes and large hats with badges bearing images of the saint, they came seeking forgiveness, to find cures, or as punishment for crimes they had committed.
Today, St. Andrews attracts a different kind of pilgrim — golfers who want to play in the sport’s birthplace. Besides the legendary Old Course, the world’s oldest, there are more than a dozen other world-class golf courses in the area, not to mention a fascinating golf museum.