The Art of an Unboring Date: Twelve Date Ideas That Are Not a Walk on East Sands
- Mari Claudia Reimer
- Nov 13, 2025
- 3 min read
In February of my second year, I messaged a boy: “Meet me at the St Mary’s entrance around 9pm, and bring a mug.” His response: “How cryptic.” Besides this, I had previously slid into his DMs by sending him a photo of the ‘split G’ of my Guinness glass I had just drunk in the Edinburgh airport at midday (impressive). I had just met him, and I liked him, so I asked him out. This date was absolutely not a typical one. In my opinion, the first date is not just about how well you both connect, but also where you both go and what you do. This sets up what the rest of the relationship may look like. I will never bring someone on a boring date; I am not a typical girl, and therefore, I will never be in a typical relationship.
So when I asked this man to meet me at night, for all he knew, I could have been a psychopath trying to pin him up against the wall of the library to steal his Emma Bridgewater spaniel mug. However, we ended up drinking Porta 6 wine from our mugs and laughing by the castle, listening to the waves until late at night, giggling. And I think it worked; I remember him being pretty infatuated with me. So, this goes to show one skill I do have in life: planning things, especially dates, and especially unique ones in this microscopic town.
I often see couples around me go on the same redundant dates: a walk down East Sands, sitting on the leather couch at Taste, or going out to eat at Maisha, just to end up knowing the entirety of the table next to you. Eventually, after a few outings, instead of asking each other to go on a walk or grab a bite to eat, it becomes lying in bed and “watching a movie.” This is how relationships crash. When you associate someone solely with comfort and bed, next thing you know, you have not seen any of your friends in weeks, have watched one too many movies, eaten one too many ice creams, now both living within your own world, dissociated from everything beyond the two of you.
When excitement in a relationship disappears, the relationship burns out. You must associate the one you are seeing with doing enjoyable things. This, in my belief, is a key component in keeping a relationship moving and alive. So, generously, I have put my fabulous and creative mind to work and curated the most perfect, spontaneous list of twelve date ideas for lovers looking for something unique to do together in St Andrews:
Both dress in matching Christmas sweaters and secure a hatchet. Go to St Mary’s Quad and cut down the small, puny tree that Queen Mary of Scots planted to later decorate with ornaments.
Write each other’s extension requests and see who can get approval the quickest with the most days allocated.
Sneak into the other half of Sally Mapstone’s house that she does not humbly use and have a three-course dining experience. Both of you wear matching red pantsuits that you find in Sally’s closet.
Go flower picking at the Botanic Garden.
Steal a loose cobblestone on College Street and carve each other’s faces out of it.
Wake up early and catch the sunrise on Castle Sands; while holding hands, discuss what it means to love someone romantically.
Between a theology tutorial, have a pack race and see who can smoke the most cigarettes while speaking on the core doctrines of the Christian faith.
Go bungee jumping together off the scaffolding of St Mary’s Library. Perhaps borrow a helmet from the Medieval Fighting Society for safety precautions.
Hike the long track to DRA, and share a pint of Guinness with one straw at the legendary Dragon’s Den.
Sneak into the cathedral late at night and replicate the Reformation in 1559.
Attend a film student’s average weekly tutorial and have a movie date (bring buttered popcorn and maybe a journal to pretend you are taking notes).
Both leave your bags on the seats in the main library, perhaps take up an extra seat or two or four at the height of exam season, and go on a long walk to Crail and back. Then maybe do it once again
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