Many golf fans have been left wondering how best to travel to St Andrews for the 150th Open after organisers advised against using trains.
With a reduction in public transport options, parking in the Fife town is likely to be challenging as tens of thousands descend for the tournament.
Strikes affecting ScotRail forced the operator to advise people find other means of travel to the Old Course.
Organisers of the competition, the R&A, says there is a risk those who do manage to travel by Scotland’s railway may not be able to get home again.
We’ve taken a look at the alternatives for those travelling across Tayside and Fife.
Travel by car
Taking the car to the home of golf might seem the simplest option at first, but it could prove challenging.
With many thousands expected to make the trip to St Andrews each day, it is likely there could be congestion on the surrounding roads.
The A915 is the only major road in and out of the town, carrying traffic north towards the A91 to Dundee and south to the rest of Fife.
One other road, the B939, carries traffic west towards Cupar.
A host of temporary traffic regulations and parking restrictions have been introduced to help manage the high number of vehicles.
This includes a number of road closures and restrictions to be put in place throughout the event.
Parking
The will be no public parking at St Andrews Links or in the surrounding areas.
Instead, those travelling by car or motorbike will be directed to official park and ride services.
Dedicated buses will then transport spectators to and from the course.
Directions to park and ride sites will be given on the way into the town through variable messaging and AA road signs.
The sites can be found at the following locations:
- A919 near Leuchars
- A91 near Guardbridge
- A915 south of St Andrews.
Parking in nearby towns and villages is not advised.
Taxi
A designated taxi rank and private hire drop off/pick-up area will be in operation at Petheram Bridge within walking distance of the course.
Public transport
Bus operators Stagecoach and Moffat and Williamson both offer services to St Andrews for The Open.
A number of Stagecoach bus services will be available to take people from across Tayside and Fife to St Andrews, including from Dundee, Cupar, Glenrothes and Kirkcaldy.
For those travelling from slightly further afield, regular buses run between Edinburgh and Fife, including the X56. You can see the full timetable here.
If you’re making the trip from Perth you will first need to travel to Dundee or Glenrothes before making the onwards trip.
Those travelling from Angus, including from Forfar and Arbroath bus stations, will also need to change at Dundee.
You can see the full Dundee to St Andrews timetables, including information about the first and last journeys, here and here.
You can get more information and plan your journey on the Stagecoach website
Journeys should be checked in advance, as Stagecoach are cancelling a significant number of buses every day due to staffing issues.
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