In case you’re wondering where I’m up to, it’s now 21:15 on Monday the 4th, and the Departures Board at Euston Station is telling us the Aberdeen Sleeper is “Delayed“.
From my vantage point at Leon, I’d been eyeing up the Signal Box, a new Fullers bar next to the other chain diners on the second floor. And as Mrs RM made for the loos, I made a dash for the beers.
There’s been a guard at the entrance directing you to a table with menus earlier, but I guess the end of food service means an end to that nonsense.
Bit quieter than the Parcel Yard or Barrel Vault, perhaps.
So the range of cask looked a little ambitious, even if they do have lovely handpumps.
“This beer is being held at a red signal…back shortly” it says on the ESB.
Can we expect the defenders of the faith on CAMRA Discourse to take Fullers to task as vigorously as they do Wetherspoons with their “Coming soon” ? Thought not.
I cannot lie. The Hophead was as good as I’ve tasted for ages. Over a fiver, though.
Not that I saw much of it, as Mrs RM appeared from behind my shoulder, shouted “They’re boarding“, and wolfed down the half before I could say “No rush“.
At the train, we got the personal treatment from the lovely Caledonia staff asking how we’d like our haggis cooked, which Proclaimers track we’d like sung to us as we entered a deep sleep passing Milton Keynes, and given our personal ear plugs.
Tempting as it was, we resisted the on-board beery options, a wise move as it turned out.
After putting the request for a 7am porridge and bacon roll on the outside of our cabin, I just had time to open my GBG, finally rip out the silly breweries section, and plan my Aberdeen Adventure.
This is what our journey should have looked like, depositing us in central Aberdeen at 07:39.
The knock on the door came at 5.
“Morning ! Here’s your porridge and coffee. We arrive at Perth in half an hour“.
Sure I said 7.
Hang on. Did she say Perth ?
“Oh yes, did we not say last night ?. The Sleeper can’t do the last section so you have to change at Perth”. No, you didn’t.
Now, being stuck in Perth at 5pm would have been great; I could have ticked off the Green Room Wee Bar and Greyfriars in the 25 minute stuck in Perth, while Mrs RM stood looking frantic. As it is, I’ll have to wait till next month and my return to Dundee.
Perth Station at 5am is a quieter place to be than Clun at sunset.
Still, we were awake, and admired the sunrise over the coast at Carnoustie (top) and Montrose.
But still more than two coffees were needed to compensate for those two lost hours.
retiredmartin 
Good grief -how disappointing ! Looking forward to reading about your adventures in Scotland -their pubs always seem a bit different some how -different beers I suppose.Good that you have no car -Mr Tyke drank a bit of Nanny State up there -always expensive but he found it palatable (he refuses to drink coffee or soft drink ! )
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Yes, no way I’d drive in Scotland. The Sleeper is brilliant, our 2015 trip to Fort William was a perfect way to start a holiday.
Scottish pubs do seem different; I guess they have a lot more in the way of a small hotel/inn culture than us. Outside the Lakes, Peaks and Cotswolds we seem to have chain budget hotels these days. Scottish bars in cities are a lot more gritty than our most basic pubs too.
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Agreed too far to drive (although it was ok from Leeds ) so these days we usually fly up & hire a car -I would love to go on the sleeper though !
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That WAS a rude awakening. I can’t wait til you get to Aberdeen. I love that “toon.”
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Took a lot of photos, Barbara so may be a very protacted set of posts. Hope you saw the Footdee (“Fitties”) when you were there.
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No, I haven’t made it to Footdee yet—that’ll be something to look forward to next time I visit. I am loving all your photos!
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Thanks Barb. Am enjoying blogging them.
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Coincidently in Stafford’s Coach and Horses a few years ago I was talking to a train driver from Perth.
I was in the Green Room three months ago and had a decent pint of Strathbraan Due South but it was nothing like as good a pub as the Cherrybank Inn.
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Looking forward to the Cherrybank too, Paul, but that would have needed a bit more than 25 minutes to add on to my 5am crawl !
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Yes, the Cherrybank Inn might be Scotland’s second best pub.
We had intended staying there but it got changed to Dundee so a bit of a preview for me there.
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What’s the first ?. If it’s not the one with an autovac I’m not interested.
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The Laurieston.
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““This beer is being held at a red signal…back shortly” it says on the ESB.”
A slow golf clap for their effort.
“Over a fiver, though.”
Blimey.
“and given our personal ear plugs.”
Much better than the ones you have to share for sure!
“Not bad at all”
And the prices look (a bit) cheaper than the Signal Box.
“No, you didn’t.”
Crikey!
“But still more than two coffees were needed to compensate for those two lost hours.”
Sigh, I hear ya. Taking the ‘red eye’ to Toronto in eight days. Leaves at 11pm, gets in at 6am but with the time change that means barely four hours in total on the plane.
Cheers
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Four hours! Almost worse than no sleep at all.
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