have an extra bedroom, and want to make an extra couple hundred pounds per month?

Just speculating at this point, really, but I am thinking of applying to a job at St Andrew’s University, and would plan on commuting up from Cardiff, staying for a month or so at a time. I would therefore want to rent a cheap room somewhere within cycling distance (or bus or train in a pinch).

FWIW, St Andrews has extremely high rents.
However, there is a good cycle path in from Guardbridge. Which also has a good chippy and a whisky/gin distillery and brewery with a taproom. I’ve heard their whisky is excellent.

You could look at Tayport too. Good access to Tentsmuir forest and beach and cycle-able for St Andrews. Or look round the coast – Kinsgbarns area? Also has a nice whisky distillery!

I grew up in Balmullo (6 miles from St Andrews) so know the area well – ask any questions you like.

FWIW, St Andrews has extremely high rents.

What, a “couple hundred pounds per month” doesn’t buy a castle in Scotland?

What, a “couple hundred pounds per month” doesn’t buy a castle in Scotland?

Sorry. I hope “a couple hundred pounds per month” wasn’t offensive! I couldn’t imagine a single bedroom costing much more, but I’ll take a look.

I grew up in Balmullo so know the area well – ask any questions you like.

… Open season! How long does the 92 take from Balmullo to Strathkinness?

Local villages are reasonably well served by buses. Leuchars is an army base don’t know if it’s changed from RAF days when it was pretty quiet. Tayport & Newport + area is good for biking in forest and trails along the Tay

Joking aside, Strathkinness could be a good choice. Easily cycleable to & from. I used to enjoy going into St Andrews that way. You’d see all the Church spires against the blue of the sea & sky. Lovely

Can’t say about villages South & East of St Andrews but i’m sure if you were successful you could move about a little bit as you learnt the area. Sub-sub-let your room for The Open.

Former Tayportian…

Sorry. I hope “a couple hundred pounds per month” wasn’t offensive! I couldn’t imagine a single bedroom costing much more, but I’ll take a look.

LOL – St Andrews is going to be fairly expensive on account of the University (and the economic profile of many of the students).

There are buses running from glasgow to st andrews, you don’t have to be all that close, stagecoach in fife do megarider tickets which give unlimited travel within fife for a reasonable fee per week.
So, you could easily consider Kirkcaldy, Glenrothes or Dunfermline.

So, you could easily consider Kirkcaldy, Glenrothes or Dunfermline.

I changed from cycling to work to bus/train/car transport to work – worst part of my move. If i was moving again i’d put a much higher priority on walking/cycling to work

Methil just over the hill a wee bit might get you a room for £50 a week or Whitfield a suburb of Dundee might be worth a look too

I live in St Andrews.
The property market is nuts, Rooms in student flats in St Andrews are in the region of £500 a month, sometimes more. It’s not cheap. There are students who commute from Dundee to save money.
Cupar is a few miles out and you get a lot more for your money. Reasonably well served by busses and is cycleable avoiding the main road.

When I was a student there 8 years ago I paid £850 a month for a two bedroom ex council house right at the very edge of town. It felt very far out when I was a lazy ass undergrad but it was only a mile!

Guardbridge is nice and a very easy cycle. Tayport is also nice. I used to work in Dundee and it was a tedious cycle because Fife is the windiest place on earth. Headwinds everywhere, all the time. From Tayport you can cycle on back roads and the cycle path. Guardbridge is cycle path all the way.

The bike shop is a funny old place, I used to work there. The one in Leuchars is better. The mountain biking is surprisingly good- Kemback woods has some slidy stuff in it!

It’s a nice place, drives you a bit mad after 4 years as a student but it looks a nice place to work and lecturers stay there a long time.

couple hundred pounds per month

Lol, does this factor in some sort of forum discount? You can’t be serious?

Spokes? If so its a road bike favouritism bike shop maybe?

Just don’t call him Shirley!

loving the idea of SaxonRider living in Methil and commuting to SA 🙂

Lol, does this factor in some sort of forum discount? You can’t be serious?

Obviously I had something to learn when I first posted. Already noted.

Spokes? If so its a road bike favouritism bike shop maybe?

That’s okay from my point of view. The only dirt I ride now is on a CX. Otherwise I’m all road.

loving the idea of SaxonRider living in Methil 🙂

How come? What sort of history/reputation does it have? /intrigued
[Ah, I see your edit.]

Go on Spotify and listen to Letter from America by the Proclaimers although on a sunny day nice views over the Forth to Arthur’s seat and the Pentlands

That’s okay from my point of view. The only dirt I ride now is on a CX. Otherwise I’m all road.

You’d enjoy Tentsmuir & there are lots of little single tracks through copses separated by fields & farm tracks. Not much gravel but plenty of old fashioned ATB action. Road biking in Fife & north into Angus is fantastic. Well it was 15 years ago 😉

How come? What sort of history/reputation does it have? /intrigued

just doesn’t quite fit with my picture of you.  Can completely imagine you in SA but maybe not Methil.  Everything changes though so even ‘Letter from America’ might be a bit out of date.   It’s quite fun driving up the coast through these places up to SA but most of them feel very different from St Andrews itself.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-86310653.html

I’m in Tayport and work in Dundee, other half in St. Andrews (both uni based), and love it here (having moved from near Reading and doing the London commute). Cycle to work most days is great (apart from the wind, as mentioned above!). We can walk/cycle to Tentsmuir with the kids and I have easy access to the highlands.

TBH, you are more likely to find a lowish cost room to rent in Dundee. St Andrews is a small town with a prestigious university attended by those with deep pockets. I would expect finding rooms to rent in Dundee somewhat easier than in the outlying villages/towns or St. Andrews, but that would probably be around an hour away by bike.

There are buses direct between Dundee and St Andrews, but the closest train station is Leuchars, which is probably 30 mins away by bike, so probably wouldn’t save much time all in.

I currently live in Balmullo and it’s ideally placed for cycling to St Andrews, about 7 miles with all of it on either quiet country roads or the cycle path. You might be able to rent in Leuchars easily as the housing situation is quite fluid there due to the army base with people always coming and going every few years. I cycle to Dundee from Balmullo, about 13 miles, for work and it’s the perfect distance for commuting. St Andrews itself is a really nice town, nice pubs and places to eat. Good ice cream and chippies too.

You might be able to rent in Leuchars easily as the housing situation is quite fluid there due to the army base with people always coming and going every few years

Could be a good choice if cost is an issue. Really not too far away

We’re in a wee village several miles outside St Andrews, several friends and neighbours work or have worked or have retired from the uni! Plenty of ‘gravel’ in Fife if you look for it; if and when I do ride a bike (seldom these days) that’s all I do.

Get in touch if you ever need somewhere to crash for a night if you want to visit the area and get a feel for it.

Guardbridge is nice

😳 at the moment, it’s just a big building site as the mill is demolished / converted into university campus.

Balmullo or Dundee would be my choice – or Crail

I’m another Balmullo boy didn’t realise it was a hub if singletrackworld these days!

Actually I could ask my folks they might take on a waif/stray. You can debate religion with them.

I’m another Balmullo boy didn’t realise it was a hub if singletrackworld these days!

There’s at least one more that hasn’t shown up yet!

Mind blown.

I’m from the hill though not real Balmullo 😁

Yourguitarhero and I can remember where all of this was fields.

Actually I could ask my folks they might take on a waif/stray. You can debate religion with them.

That would great, actually. Just be clear that I am only now applying for the job. I don’t have it in hand (yet!).

Right. My mum has suggested someone already!

Ping me when you are more decided (room available after Christmas)

Will do. Thanks for that!

I can remember where all of this was fields.

Pretty much what i think every time when i go for a ride back home :'(

Joking aside, Strathkinness could be a good choice.

I second this wholeheartedly.
Disclosure: I live in Strathkinness.

Rent/property prices are significantly cheaper than St Andrews.

Excellent, and I mean excellent, local pub/restaurant.

You’re 5 minutes from St Andrews, 20 minutes from Dundee, less than 1 hr to Edinburgh airport.

Biking from the doorstep to Blebo/Kemback which has something for everyone. Short-ish trails but quick back up to the top and sooooooo much to choose from/link together. I reckon I could do 2 hours in there and not ride the same track twice. Tenstsmuir single-track within riding distance, trails north of Dundee/Pitmedden/Falkland within ½ hr drive. Comrie/Ochils within an hour.

I’ve been here 6 years, after 8 years in Edinburgh and previous life in Sheffield. Can’t imagine living anywhere else now.

In fact I might just know the exact person for you to speak to about renting a room in Strathkinness, potentially around the budget in your OP. PM me if interested

Bloody hell, STW is full of mully boys!
I grew up on School Rd – the last house on the right as you’re leaving the village, big beech hedge.
I do actually remember when McWalters Field was a field with McWalters truck yard in it, spent a lot of time in that field as a child.

There is a lovely piece of single track from the top of Balmullo hill (where the trig point is) back down through Luclklaw woods that brings you out at the top of the hill road.

There is also a good gravel track if you leave the village on the hill road, go straight on at the phone box instead of turning left to go up the hill and then cycling through the Picard’s farm, over a bridge over the train tracks and you come out at a gravel pit on the A92 next to the Moffat & Williamson depot – good way to get over to 5 Ways area and Wormit -> Tay Bridge

Luck law hill was a favourite of mine. Technical climb with lots of points for clearing it then a number of descent choices. Spent time in 90s/00s clearing trails on the hill. Great line that plunged off the side straight down towards ‘the farm’ (possibly Picards?).

Was stopped at farm by lads in Landy one time advising I was going to get shot because they were out rabbitting 😳

Some nice linking single track behind the Moffat bus depot. Ah, feeling ways…

Another Balmullo resident here! I’d definitely recommend it for commuting by bike. I used to do it to Dundee and now to Cupar which is similar in distance as it is to St Andrews. House prices and rent are some of the cheapest in the area considering how close you are to St Andrews and to Dundee. Can’t help with the room unfortunately as we have an 18 month old freeloader in ours at the moment.

Great line that plunged off the side straight down towards ‘the farm’ (possibly Picards?).

Yeah thats round the back of my folks house.

Do not take the advice about staying in Whitfield…

I do actually remember when McWalters Field was a field with McWalters truck yard in it, spent a lot of time in that field as a child.

I was thinking about down by the burn but yeah I’d forgotten about mcwalters and the youth club building a footpath from the smiddy to nowhere 😁. The old village hall and the shop before it was a spar. I’m always surprised by actual stuff in the school playground.