Scotties by the Sea features 30 giant Scottie Dog sculptures, forming a free, 10-week art trail of discovery for local people in North East Fife and visitors of all ages to enjoy and explore.
Each sculpture is sponsored by local businesses, community groups and education organisations. They are decorated by local artists and communities. They are all designed to celebrate our history, culture, and coastal heritage. At the end of the 10 weeks, the Scottie Dog sculptures will be auctioned to raise funds for Maggie’s.
We are proud to be one of the businesses sponsoring a Scottie. Meet Storm who resides at St Andrews bus station. Please excuse my shadow…
The sculptures are displayed in locations across St Andrews and along the beautiful Fife Coast, where people looking to find the Scotties can print off a map or download the app to their phones to help them navigate the trail completely free. Also, our wonderful 95 service will help you get from St Andrews along the coast all the way to the Scottie spot in Leven and you even can be in with a chance of winning a DayRider to help you explore the trail for free yourself in our prize draw on the bus. Find out more here.
Before we go any further, I’d better introduce myself, my name is Steven, and I am a Marketing and Communications Assistant for Stagecoach East Scotland. On Thursday 14th September I made my way to St Andrews by bus and beyond to find some Scotties. You now have some background on the trail, so it is time to explore the ones I found and learn a bit about them. Hope you enjoy!
My journey started well before I got to St Andrews, but I won't bore you with those details. I got off the bus at St Andrews bus station around 9.20am and was met with wonderful sunshine but there was also a little chill in the air that gave a little reminder that Autumn is on its way. Once I got moving though the chill was barely noticeable and as the morning progressed the temperature rose to around 14 degrees which was nice for walking and hopping on the bus.
My mission today was to find as many Scottie sculptures as possible and finding the first one was certainly the easiest. I stepped off the bus, turned the corner and there was Storm sitting proudly with many admirers. Storm sponsored by Stagecoach was designed by Douglas Roulston, and it depicts St Andrews Castle, acting as a sentinel to protect the historic town from past invasions. The design is a celebration of the beauty of St Andrews and also acts as a reminder of the brutal elements that the town endured.
Leaving the bus station, I headed towards the Royal & Ancient Golf Club, one of the most famous golf courses in the world. I did have a fear of getting popped on the head by a golf ball but thankfully there were only tourists getting their picture taken on the course rather than anyone actually playing.
The first Scottie I found outside the golf course was just outside where they were erecting seating for spectators for the upcoming Dunhill Links Championships. The name of Scottie was Travis, and he was designed by Amy Bourbon. Travis is a golf daft Scottie with tartan troosers, golf shirt and a jumper. He also likes to carry his golf clubs, balls, and tees. No doubt he will find himself in the ruff from time to time.
After that, I headed towards the famous Swilcan Bridge and Old Course Hotel. There I found Nails, Freddie Tait’s Dog. This one was on the grounds of the hotel so didn’t go close enough to see the story about this one, but he is dressed in some lovely looking bagpipes.
Next up I made my way to Martyr’s Monument and there I found this beauty designed by Natalia Buraleva who uses artificial grass to represent the golf influence of St Andrews. Topiary Scottie is covered in green fur and holds a golf ball. This one brings together a combination of golfing history and the traditional iconic Scottie Dog in its green splendour.
This Scottie is probably one of the luckiest having a view like this on a nice sunny day.
I then made my way to North Street and next, I found Dia De Los Muertos Perro at The New Picture House. This Scottie was designed by Jenna McHardy celebrating the Day of the Dead which is a Mexican celebration where family and friends gather to remember their loved ones who have passed. Dia De Los Muertos Perro is adorned with a chunky hand knitted floral head piece and collar.
Now it was time to head towards the Whyte Melville Memorial Fountain on Market Street. My first find in this area was the lovely looking Noble Ness designed by Steve Johnson at Church Square. Noble Ness was inspired by the Scottie Dog breed’s characteristics of fearlessness, loyalty, and confidence. It was here I decided to have a wee rest, something to eat and take on more fluids before going again.
After my break, I went looking for The Flea Circus Scottie which proved problematic as I wasn’t expecting the sculpture to be actually inside a shop. I did manage to find him in the Information Centre, and he was worth the effort. Designed by Catriona Mackenzie he brings fun and laughter to support a great cause.
I then made my way down South Street towards St Leonard’s Chapel. My first find in this area was Mac. Mac designed by Mik Richardson, is very colourful and inspired by Charles Rennie Mackintosh. He is certainly ready for whatever the Scottish weather will throw at him and still looking great while doing it. I then tried to find the Highland Scottie in the same area but to me, it looked like it was in the Courtyard of the Chapel, but it didn’t look like I was able to get in there. You probably could but it wasn’t obvious to me.
This wasn’t the most successful part of the trail for me. I then went looking for The Art of St Andrews Scottie on South Street but despite going up and down the street a few times looking like a lost Scottie, I just couldn’t spot it. After spending a little too much time trying to find that one, I went on and found Hound Dog further up on South Street outside The Adamson restaurant.
Hound Dog was designed by Lindsey Gardiner, and this is the Rock ‘N’ Roll Scottie paying homage to the late, great Elvis Presley. The design combines the unmistakable style of the King and the charm of the loyal Scottie.
I then made my way down to Westport Gate and there I found Fit as a Butcher’s Dog. This Scottie was designed by Adriana de Matos and this one represents the St Andrews local business community with the growing support for traditional, local and sustainable products. This Scottie is named after the famous saying and represents the butcher trade still going strong to this day. I did have a little time to spend with this one because when I turned up he was having some running repairs done to him.
By this time, I could have done with some running repairs myself as I was starting to feel all the walking that I had done in my knees and ankles. I had walked around 15,000 steps by this point with the time reaching midday. I had found half of the Scottie Dogs that were situated in St Andrews which I was happy about as I don’t have the greatest sense of direction (you probably already knew that from reading that I got lost a few times earlier) and I do get sore knees and ankles after walking for a period of time. It was time to head back to the bus station and continue the trail elsewhere.
I got on the 95 bus that takes me around the coast where more Scotties are located. The service goes through Crail, Anstruther, Pittenweem, St. Monans, Elie, Lower Largo and finishing at Leven. I decided to stop off in Anstruther as it is one of my favourite places to go. The smell of fresh fish hit me as soon as I stepped off the bus and I didn’t have far to walk before finding the Coastal Wildlife of Fife Scottie Dog.
Coastal Wildlife of Fife Scottie Dog was situated directly across from the world-famous Anstruther Fish and Chip shop. You can go in and get your fish and chips and sit outside next to the Scottie while having your food! Coastal Wildlife of Fife was designed by Yolande Kenny and celebrates the diverse wildlife that can be found around the coast of Fife.
With the sun putting up residency behind the clouds permanently I made my way to Leven to find the final Scottie Dog of my adventure before heading home. I got off the 95 at Leven bus station and made my way along the promenade and there I found Postcards from Fife. Designed by CE Higgins this Scottie represents the uniqueness of the Fife coastal villages and towns and how beautiful they are especially when the sun beats down on them. It throws back to a time when holidaymakers would send postcards back to family and friends which would normally show off the beautiful landscape of the village or town they were in.
After meeting Postcards from Fife, I made my way back along the promenade and back to the bus station to make my way back home. It would have been nice to find more Scotties on my travels, but some were good at hiding and time and the weather getting a little worse just didn’t afford me to find any more especially along the coast.
If you are interested in trying to do the trail before it goes then I would definitely recommend it to see the Scotties in a beautiful setting. Our 95 service is perfect for getting you around the coast and finding some Scotties and our DayRider ticket will make it easier just to hop on and off a bus.
Written by Steven Whyte