Nearly caught up with Scotland now, but still a few crackers to go.
I jumped off the coach from Glenrothes 5 minutes from the centre, only to discover Google Maps was lying and it was more like 25.
Still, a chance to explore “Kirkcaldy” beach in the rain, fantastic. Do people come here on holiday ?
It’s not St.Tropez. Or even Skegness. But it is strangely alluring.
No idea what this is…
But this is clearly the new BrewDog beer factory…
I’m either too late, or too early, for the must-see pub, which looks unchanged from my visit two decades ago.
Luckily, Betty Nichols is prepared to be my stand-in classic Scottish bar for the day.
It’s a joy, as gorgeous as anything in Edinburgh Morningside, but with cheaper beer. Cool and tasty Jarl, NBSS 3.5.
A cheery haven for the professional drinker and the ladies who nibble on marshmallow, alike.
My notes say “plush, but basic”, and “Love Train”, the highlight from an afternoon of soul classics.
Raith/Kirkcaldy itself is “down-to-earth”, to say the least, bar the area round the Spoons, which I passed at 37mph uphill in a rush to catch the last off-peak train back to the Borders.
I presume the winged menace played for East Fife, who Raith Rovers had put to the sword in the big Fife derby the night before.
But let’s not talk about big derbies today, eh ?
retiredmartin 
Aha – a time clock. Employees used to put a key in and it would record them clocking on and off. I once had a trip round the lino factory there. Pleasant enough town but never had a pint there.
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Yes, and I remember at the Hull Brewery over forty years ago using a heavy paper card in the slot of a mechanical time clock at the start and finish of each day. Next after clocking in was usually going over to the bottling side to collect two pints on Mild as the ‘allowance’ for each of us, not that that was necessarily all that we might drink during a days work.
I was shocked at Banks’s’s last Wednesday to hear that their intolerance of workers drinking is worse than the police for motorists.
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I worked for Camerons and Jennings and by then the allowance couldn’t be taken at work so had to be taken as bottles or cans. I’m fairly sure most proper brewery employees still enjoy benefits but it’s probably for the best that the draymen don’t get a pint at every drop now.
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Look what became of William Hague (allegedly).
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ElectricPics,
Drinking your allowance, and maybe more, while working in a brewery was very much like drinking in a proper pub but drinking at home is a totally different thing.
Those Health and Safety dogooder killjoys have got a lot to answer for.
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It must have been like watching a Roy of the Rovers game yesterday Martin.
We watched it on Match of the Day and did not know the result,we were both moaning when City went 2-0 up and moaning more when Man Utd won it.
Your lot will still win the league anyway.
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I can’t watch football on telly (I have funny eyesight) so I only heard the score at the end. Reading the comments on the City forum you’d think we’d been relegated. Love football for games like that.
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That is the trouble with football these days all the top clubs fans want to win all the time,when we went to away games it was for a piss up and a laugh,if we won that was a bonus.
We both moan that there is no atmosphere at football matches anymore, a shame that we can not bring back the old days of terraces in the higher leagues.
When i am fit again we will only go to away games with Forest to get the odd new ground done.
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“It’s not St.Tropez. Or even Skegness. But it is strangely alluring.”
I would agree. 🙂
“No idea what this is…”
I think the ‘up’ / ‘down’ thingies are how you change the time twice yearly. 😉
“BrewDog factory, I assume”
Nonsense. It says right on it (in big letters) that they make automobiles there (Carrs). (LOL)
“A window onto Raith”
That mentions quiz nights in April on Tuesday’s at 8pm I believe.
“which I passed at 37mph uphill in a rush to catch the last off-peak train back to the Borders.”
Is that the Scottish version of Red Bull gives you wings?
“I presume the winged menace played for East Fife, ”
My guess would have been either Batman or Harpies. 🙂
Cheers
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What was the crowd at the Raith Derby? You can’t get more Scottish than Tunnocks chocolate!
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1,485 (away 17)
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That’s a decent crowd if slightly underwhelming away support!
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Estimated away support based on sales of haggis.
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And Tunnocks?
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Haggis flavour tunnocks?
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