Tag Archives: further afield

J G Sharps

Largs:

Our first pub in Largs, our first drink being in a hotel bar, so not counting.

Had quite high hopes for this; it’s just away from the seafront, and was listed in our Good Beer Guide (even if our GBG is a little out-of-date). As it was, it didn’t impress; not awful by any means, but walking in, the only cask ale was Doom Bar (shudder), and the place was packed with people watching the kicksphere: it was dark and noisy. Half of Glasgow was in Largs, and many of them were in here.

A subsequent visit made it a bit better- still no drinkable cask, but Shipyard keg, and we found the beer garden. Staff were OK, and it was one of very few pubs with an actual beer garden in town, but it wasn’t what we hoped for.

The Queensberry Arms

Annan, Dumfries & Galloway:

OK, it’s a hotel, but this has to be stretched in Scotland: generally the local hotel is also the pub. There’s several pubs in town in this case, but this isn’t always the case, and the bar felt pubby.

No cask ale, but tolerable lager (Staropramen). Barman friendly enough, atmosphere OK (but marked down for TV showing some third-rate channel), nothing exceptional though.