Pictured left to right above: Dr James Rae (University of St Andrews), Geoff Little, St Andrews Holiday Park General Manager (Abbeyford Leisure) launch the new trail with two walkers. 

Picture credit: Alistair Macleod

Narrated by geologist and climate scientist, Dr James Rae, from the University of St Andrews School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, the trail takes in 17 major events including the formation of the moon, first life, snowball earth, and the die out of the dinosaurs, before eventually ending at the present day as we enter the age of humans or the Anthropocene. The trail is aimed at all ages and only requires a smart phone to download the trail and headphones to listen to the narration which is triggered as you walk.

Dr Rae said at the launch: 

The history of the Earth is written all around us and buried beneath our feet. By linking a walk around St Andrews to the passage of time we hope to open people’s eyes to the amazing geological and biological processes that shape our world and, hopefully, make us want to take action to preserve it for future generations.”

The trail starts at the coastal path entrance to the St Andrews Holiday Park on East Sands. Park General Manager, Geoff Little, has welcomed the trail’s launch and said:

This trail provides visitors and locals with a chance to reconnect with the wonderful landscape of St Andrews through understanding its fascinating past. We are delighted to support the project and are excited to have the first stop on the Deep Time Walk at the foot of the holiday park where iconic views of the East Sands and the St Andrews skyline set the tone for the dramatic adventure ahead.”

The term “deep time” recognises the changes taking place over a huge time span and owes its genesis to the Scot, James Hutton, who challenged the accepted ideas of the day, that the Earth was merely a few thousands of years old, and laid the basis for the modern science of geology in the 18th century.

Download the trail

The trail has been created by Transition University of St Andrews with the support of Paths for All and Abbeyford Leisure. You can discover the amazing journey yourself by simply searching for St Andrews Journey through Time at the izi.travel website or by downloading the izi.travel app from your app store.