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.
South Queensferry:
Almost in the shadow of both the road and rail Firth of Forth crossings, South Queensferry is a peasant little place. Sadly, we were in the car, but found parking nearby and stopped for lunch. Food was a bit mixed; my burger was fine, but stymistress’s baguette was a bit below par. Real ale on offer, but not tried (due to presence of car), and a large slection of whisky. Pleasant, helpful staff, and nice, traditional interior only marred by the large TV (thankfully muted).
Linlithgow:
At one end of the main street. It’s a hotel, but the bar feels pub-like. It is a little modern and stripped out, but there’s a real fire and while there is food there’s a good area for just drinking. Good choice of beer including real ale, and pleasant staff. We returned another day for food, which was fine too.
Edinburgh:
This was a real surprise: it was on our list because of its literary connections (being the favourite bar of Ian Rankin and his well known character Inspector John Rebus).
It’s lovely. Positively lovely. It’s a bit of a timewarp, still subdivided up, and the back room we were in had a real fire. No food, no music, no TV, just a quiet, relaxing bar with some superb ale and a lovely quiet bolthole from the city. The staff and locals have a reputation for surliness, but we found them friendly- and we were very obviously tourists.
Edinburgh:
One of many pubs/restaurants in Rose St, we chose this as the menu looked more our thing, and we’d arrived in the city at lunctime. Inside, it’s standard modern slightly (but only slightly) la-di-dah bar, and pretty pleasant. Some cracking beer on offer, and the food was good. As you’d expect, prices a bit steep (£4 a pint) though.
Linlithgow:
Named for the town’s coat of arms and the associated legend, this was a pleasant pub with traditional decor (including an explanation of the legend) and real ale. Staff were friendly and the beer decent.
Inverie, Knoydart Peninsula:
The remotest pub in mainland Britain, only accessible by a 20 mile hike or by boat. There are roads, but they’re not connected to the main UK road network.
I was a bit dissapointed, perhaps because of high expectations: the pub’s site bigs up the real ale, but there was only one on offer (which was fine, but not one I was keen on), the wine seemed a bit duff and while the food looked good, it was a bit over the top for lunchtime, which is the easiest time to visit, so we went to a tearoom for lunch instead. Staff were fine though, and there was decent lager.
Fort William:
First impressions weren’t doing it for me: I was expecting a sub-Wetherspoon pub, and inside was dark on a very bright sunny day (and no outside space, sadly- a couple of tables in the pedestrianised High St would be great) but I was very wrong: the staff were friendly, the beer was great (a choice of ale including a fine IPA whose name escapes me) and the food other customers had looked good, and this was the closest to a proper traditional pub we got to in the Highlands this week.
Fort William:
Fronting on to the High St, this large pub has a rear terrace with a fine view of the A82 dual carriageway Loch Linnhe. Ok, it has a view of both, but look up and you can shut out the A82.
There was ale, but sadly only 1, and that a dark one, so our stay was shorty than otherwise: staff were pleasant, food was good value and, joking aside, the terrace at the back does have a good view.
Mallaig:
We’ve had hotels on pubblog before, and the difficulty for me is deciding if they’re sufficiently pub-like: pure hotel bars don’t get listed.
This is the reverse: It calls itself a hotel, has rooms available, and the website lists a menu, but it seems they’ve stopped doing food, and this place just feels like a local’s pub: a bit rough and ready, but pleasant and lively. No ale, but decent lager and very friendly staff.