Someone jumped to the view that I don’t like Scottish pubs after a recent post, which couldn’t be further from the truth. And Peebles may have a less than stellar Spoons but it has a classic pub in the Bridge (aka Trust)
I popped there after a macaroni pie in the High Street, a calorific indulgence for a quid. Mrs RM was horrified.
Tucked away between church and bridge, it looks like a great boozer.
Excitingly, it shared frontage with Franco’s Italian, which was closed, causing me major trauma at 12.05pm.
But then I heard laughter. And I saw life within.
This is a distinctly Scottish pub to rival gems like Musselburgh’s Staggs and Geordie’s Byre in Ayr, which is mighty fine company to keep.
A small pub with a multitude of drinking areas;
And great seating.
And some excellent jumpers (not Pringle) at the bar.
And some wonderful old handpumps above the bar,
Sadly no Dissy Blonde or Mansfield today, but they had Jarl, so that’s OK.
The beer was excellent, cool and chewy, but it was the people that made the Bridge stand out. “Rarely have I felt so welcome” say my notes.
The landlady brought over her foxglove and daisy soap for me to smell, which is something you don’t get to write every day.
A 60s soundtrack included “Daydream Believer” and “Fun Fun Fun“, which suited the pub perfectly.
I didn’t know this was Scottish Pub of the Year 2017, but it deserves every accolade it gets. Worth the trip to Peebles just for the banter.
retiredmartin 
Nice post. You really make one want to visit this pub.
LikeLiked by 2 people
You MUST go. Definition of a Public house.
LikeLike
I need to become retiredave. So many pubs to visit.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sounds great but still no sign of Peebles best known resident: black bag, the faithful border bin liner.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hooray- you finally nailed a good one. It’s an excellent pub in one of the few towns not to be taken over by chain shops.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Pro-rata, Scotland has as many great pubs as anywhere. Beer quality tends to be allor nothing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I read that as “foxglove and daisy soup”, which would have been intriguing to say the least.
Long time since I was last in Peebles, the Neidpath used to be really good as well in days of yore.
Scottish beer quality usually relies on having one very keen member of staff who keeps the cask in good form; this is usually found in the large number of privately owned bars – you’re unlikely to find many classic bars, with well kept beer, owned by chains.
Sort of surprising how little Broughton you seem to be encountering on your travels in the Borders, I would have thought they would have a lot of long term accounts (possibly mainly hotels).
LikeLike
Good point about Broughton. there was loads of it in Biggar and around (not well kept), and I think the non-GBG pubs in Peebles may have had it.
Same principle about a keen staff member of landlord applies to social clubs in England.
LikeLike
BTW, a barmaid letting you sniff her soap is a very genteel local way of letting you know you need to use said item as you are upsetting the bar cat. Traditionally only practiced in Morningside.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fair point, sensitively made Scott.
LikeLike
Obviously a hint of Selkirk about you. Huge rivalry between the small border towns.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This one really does look special, and your photos were a pleasure to behold. That one from the bar looking toward the stained glass windows is stunning.
I had to chuckle at the mosaic just outside the front door: Looks like they worked left to right and decided, halfway through (or more precisely, just after they finished “TWE”), that they needed to separate the letters more generously, in order to fill out the space. Delightful evidence of the human hand behind the work. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good spot !
LikeLike
“My reflection”
That looks like something out of a movie like “The Ring”. 🙂
(of course, in your case, you pop up at a place that has no cask) (LOL)
“Round the corner,Si”
Well, obviously. Anyone of a certain age knows better than to check what is *cough* ‘behind the green door’. 😉
“A small pub with a multitude of drinking areas;”
The Spoons had ‘a string of small rooms off a thin corridor’ but the beer was crap if I recall. 😉
“Pub life, Peebles”
Love it! (thumbs up)
“Note Dissy Blonde”
And note they’re keeping the Nosey Parker as far away as possible.
“Pub perfection”
I would have to agree.
“Worth the trip to Peebles just for the banter.”
Is that a type of Bannock? (rolls eyes)
Cheers!
LikeLike
I meant per capita
LikeLike
Was it cold ?
The barmaid with the bobble-hat looks like she’s dressed for some weather.
Lovely tiled bar area – always the sign of a good pub.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fashion for young people these days.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, to be there. Looks like pure bliss. I love pubs with carpets. Sadly a rarity these days.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Indeed. Yes, a real gem.
LikeLike
Those pointy rooms look great – pleasant moments imagining sitting in the comfy tub chair in front of that cosy little stove with a cool/chewy Jarl..
…pointy is the perfect room design for a darts board too…
Also really like the ‘beer mat station’ on the bar – collect a beer mat with your pint and take it to your table presumably – excellent idea…
A lovely post – such a contrast after all that recent angst…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m in a zen mood at moment, pubhermit. Some really GREAT pubs and beer in last week. Another two Scottish then a Kent ot two ten Wolves. 😁
LikeLiked by 1 person
Another thing that you notice is that the pub is virtually empty and that the punly punters are sat at the bar. In a lot of British pubs, the bar is just a place to order drinks before going back to your table. That can make for a lonely session if you’re on your own. In the US, on the other hand, I’ve often found that if there’s only a handful of people in a bar, they’ll all be sat at the bar. It is so much more social.
LikeLike
…only punters
LikeLike
I think Martin gets more punly commentators than punly punters.
Imagine if all his regulars on here surprised him in a bar somewhere. Perhaps one in Maidenhead just to make sure the experience was utterly unforgettable.
LikeLike
Splendid looking pub that for some reason I’ve never been in. I miss the ‘Scottishness’ of tall fonts that used to be so common in jock pubs.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Did you consider a ‘Peebles Wobble, But We Don’t Fall Down’ kind of headline?…
LikeLiked by 1 person
That one is reserved by BRAPA ahead of his 2034 visit.
LikeLike
I’ve only just noticed TWEEDSIDE in that mosaic, planned with nine tesserae for each letter without realising that W is quite a bit wider than I.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Tesserae. We don’t see enough of that word.
LikeLike
Indeed.
Unfortunately replaced by Theresa May in recent years.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re on top form, Paul. The vaccine will knock this enthusiasm out of you.
LikeLike
Eight days later and it’s had no effects.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good to hear you’ve had it. We’ll soon be back drinking Brew XI in Stafford, Paul.
LikeLike
Absolutely.
LikeLiked by 1 person