From Toppings bookshop to Tailend fish and chip shop, Fife author Val McDermid talks all things St Andrews. Mostly the locations that inspired The Distant Echo – the Pictish cemetery on Hallow Hill, the graveyard of the cathedral, the bottle dungeon in the castle. But also St Salvator’s Quad at the university, walking through there when I was awarded an honorary degree with my partner who is a professor there – that was a moment I’ll never forget.
And of course, the excellent Toppings bookshop in Greyfriars Gardens. They’ve always been so supportive of my work. We have a cottage in the East Neuk so that’s where we stay when I have to come to St Andrews.
Filming the night shots for Karen Pirie [the television series based on her Inspector Karen Pirie novels]. I love the fish and chips we get in the East Neuk so I’m always drawn to Tailend, whose fish suppers are superb. And if I’ve got room afterwards, a visit to Jannettas for an ice cream.
I’m looking forward to visiting Rusacks now they’ve taken on . His restaurant in Cellardyke was one of the best I have ever eaten in, and we were really sad to see it close. He’s such an imaginative chef, and I admire his commitment to local produce.
The West Sands. Walking along the beach blows away the cobwebs and helps my imagination run free. We also go often to ; walking among the trees and back along the beach is a joy.
It’s not my first memory but it’s a very vivid one. When I was growing up in Fife, there w.