Nairn, part of the Braeval Hotel:
This is a hotel bar, but as usual, we can stretch the pub definition in Scotland, and it’s Good Beer Guide listed.
Inside, the bar feels like a pub. The restaurant is a seperate room, which is nice, and the bar is dog-friendly. Decent food, great beer, friendly barman. The restaurant has a nice view over the nearby green and the Moray Firth.
Inverness:
Traditional Scottish pub with a historic interior including an unusual terrazzo spitoon around the bar counter. Great beer, great staff, great atmosphere, a fantastic pub.
Inverness:
A ‘spoons, right in the middle of Inverness. This is the bit where I type “nothing to see here”, yes?
Well, yes, but this managed to exceed expectations of ‘spoons by some margin. Sadly it was not a good thing; you expect a ‘spoons to be a little grim, a bit grubby, perhaps, and a bit soulless, that’s the price you pay for low prices.
This was, however, the grubbiest, grimmest one I’d been in, and I’ve been in the Moon Under Water and The Sir Henry Newbolt. It’s a cavernous, but low-ceilinged space, gloomy inside, though better near the windows, where we sat at a sticky table for 40 mins before anyone cleared the multitudes of plates from the next one.
Inverness:
We walked past this a couple of times, not liking the look, before we went in.
It’s a music venue, with a wide range of music played. Bare boards, high ceilings. We walked past when it was playing traditional Scottish music, and went in when it was seemingly quiet. Sadly, a choir was setting up. I’m not keen on clap-along music and audience participation, and unintentionally, this was both. Your mileage may vary. Staff OK, beer OK (more Black Isle).
Inverness:
Pretty traditional bar; we dropped in for lunch. No cask ale, but some decent keg craft bolllocks, and lunch was pretty good (though we did get an odd, accent-related combination on a sandwich). Pleasant staff. Pity that the only normal-height seating being right at the back, so on a subsequent visit, that was all full and we went elsewhere.
Inverness:
The closest pub to our holiday cottage, and OK rather than wonderful, for us. Some would love it- modern faux-rustic decor, music evenings, whisky-tasting experience, and decent-looking food, but it didn’t hit the spot for us, though the beer choice and quality was great. Very popular with American tourists. Great staff, and probably great if you like it, just not our thing.
Inverness:
Our third port of call in Inverness after finding our holiday property and getting a few groceries in. When we were last this way, we visited a tiny brewery in a shed on the Black isle. Roll forward 15 or so years, and they’ve done (on a smaller scale) a Brewdog, but seemingly without the faux-rebel sell out and general wankery.
Inside it’s very reminiscent of Brewdog: bare concrete, exposed cable tray, scaffold-pole tables, but it feels a bit more honest, a bit less from a catalogue.
Beer wise, it’s Black Isle’s rage, mostly on keg, but some on cask.
Dunblane:
Did wonder about including this, as it felt more like a restaurant: “please wait here to be seated”, but it self-describes as a pub and was Good Beer Guide listed.
As it was, quite pleasant. Not pubby enough, really- stripped floor, reserved tables, waiting staff- but the staff were nice, the beer was great, and there’s a concession to drinkers.
Dunblane:
An overnight stop on a long journey north took us to Dunblane. A matter of yards from our B&B was The Tappit Hen. Nothing to do with poultry, a Tappit Hen is a drinking vessel.
The pub itself is traditional, small, and lovely. No food, but rammed at 5:30pm on a Friday. great beer, music at a sane volume, lovely locals and landlord: a fine start to our holiday.