PubBlog

Lockerbie:

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The only place in town with parking, it seemed, so we stopped for lunch as a break from the drive. It’s a pleasant enough place- a locals pub as well as hotel- and the staff were very pleasant. No real ale, but a good selection of other stuff. Lunch, however, was not so good: I have a thing with sandwiches drowned in mayonnaise, and this, literally, dripped. Shame really, there was lots to like.

Plockton:

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Plockton’s a nice little town. We called in here for lunch (sadly, that was underwhelming, but the beer seemed OK (I was driving), and the staff, service, and atmosphere was very nice indeed. Again, it’s a hotel, but as is so often the case in Scotland, the bar is pub-like. Choice of real ale.

Fort Augustus:

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OK, this is a hotel bar, but it passes my ‘feels like a pub test’.

This is where more of the locals and fewer tourists drink in town: it’s a typical Scottish public bar attached to a hotel. No food served in the bar, just the usual (Scottish) suspects beer wise, but friendly and cheaper: we were made welcome as were a couple of (German?) lads.

Fort Augustus:

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Very close to The Lock Inn, this is an odd one. The name and appearance outside lead you to expect very traditional features, but nothing inside fits: modern chairs/tables, a fruit machine, a TV. There’s a large conservatory used as a restaurant.

There’s 2 real ales, except when a cross-Scotland cycle/kyak/run drinks the place the dry , and food and a real fire. It’s not bad at all, but it’s a bit pricey (expected) and the food wasn’t as good as up the road, even if the beer choice was *slightly* better, plus something didn’t quite gel about it.

Fort Augustus:

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Just over the Caledonian Canal from our holiday cottage, this is a friendly, traditional pub that serves both locals and tourists: it can get very busy with the latter at times.

One hand pump with a localish beer, and a good choice of others. Decent, if not cheap, food, and nice staff, and a cracking view of the locks.

Glencoe, Scotland:

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A quick pitstop for us on a journey northwards.

This is a hotel, but the bar feels like a pub. It’s not plush, but not filthy, and pretty welcoming. It’s certainly isolated (see map), stuck out on Rannoch Moor alongside the West Highland Way. We didn’t try beer or food, but prices seemed OK considering.

Digbeth, Birmingham:

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In the middle of Digbeth, with a name like this, you’d expect a traditional Irish pub, or something near. You’d be wrong, and be better off wandering down to The Big Bulls Head maybe, or one of the other pubs nearby. It’s surprisingly modern and stripped-out inside, and no ale. It wasn’t actually bad though, just a bit soulless and bland.

Digbeth, Birmingham:

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Reputedly Birmingham’s oldest inn, right by Digbeth Coach Station, and near to other Digbeth pubs (such as The Anchor or The White Swan, this doesn’t quite have the atmosphere of either of those. Beer, food, and staff all fine though, so well worth a visit.

Digbeth, Birmingham

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I’ve been lax: I’ve been here twice recently but missed logging it.

It’s a must for real ale types: a traditional Brum boozer with several ales on at any one time. It also has that time-warp factor in places, and is a beautiful terracotta building. There’s food too, which I have never tried, but the beer is usually as good as you’d expect.