Students' annual torchlit procession heralds re-opening of St Andrews' historic pier

The annual Gaudie procession saw hundreds walk along the harbour and marked the reopening of the pier following storm damage.

The pier has been closed to the public since November 2023, when it suffered severe damage from Storm Babet.

A massive fundraising effort was launched to cover a £3m repair bill. The breach of the sea wall has been repaired and walkways have been relaid, and although there is still work to be done on less visible parts, the landmark officially reopened to members of the public on Thursday, May 1 following this year’s Gaudie procession.

The procession, organised by the Kate Kennedy Club, commemorates university student John Honey who, on January 5, 1800, rescued members of the crew of a small ship called the Janet of Macduff that had run aground off the East Sands.

A piper leads the procession and students lay a wreath at the site of the shipwreck.

Last year, the students walked out the smaller pier at the harbour to mark the occasion when the main pier was closed.

The Gaudie takes place the evening before the May Dip – another university tradition that sees students plunge themselves into the North Sea at dawn on May 1 every year in the hope it brings them good luck for their upcoming exams.