Next up (and yes, it’s till Wednesday the 6th here), a pub I enjoyed more than any other this year (well, since the Circus, anyway). Arise, the Queen Vic (as it were). Getting there in the drizzle was half the fun, weaving out of central Aberdeen as the granite finally shone and I stumbled… Continue reading IT’S ALL ABOUT THE PUB
Month: March 2019
“UNEXPECTED RASHES” IN INVERURIE
Bare with me; only one more post till we get on to the BrewDog bars. Next up on the never-ending schedule of remote Scottish towns with a population of 10k and a GBG entry (OK, not remote if you live there) is Inverurie, penultimate stop on the homeward leg into Aberdeen and an emotional reunion… Continue reading “UNEXPECTED RASHES” IN INVERURIE
LOSING MY MARBLES IN ELGIN
No, no that like. The actual marbles that Elgin stole. Always wanted to see them. Mrs RM and I had passed through Elgin on our mammoth Scottish tour of June 1998. In 21 years, they seem to have lost the marbles (if they ever had them) and gained a Wetherspoons. Which is a gain in… Continue reading LOSING MY MARBLES IN ELGIN
HIDING THE REAL ALE IN A FORRES OF TENNENTS
As predicted by Stafford Paul, my second Forres tick is the Red Lion, a GBG legend apparently. It’s always the ones with the weird names. But first, it’s the sporrans in an army surplus store (top) and Fraser Bros award winning haggis you’re really here for. One thing’s for sure, you won’t starve in Scotland… Continue reading HIDING THE REAL ALE IN A FORRES OF TENNENTS
DOING FORRES MECHANICALLY
More new towns for me to explore, which is what this blog is all about really, There’s only so much fun you can get on your seventh successive annual trip to Bedford. “You’ll be wanting to go to Forres” Scott had said in the Machar Bar, making it sound like the most exotic place on… Continue reading DOING FORRES MECHANICALLY
AGADOO-DO-DO THE OLD ABERDEEN GBG PUB
I think we’re still on Tuesday in Aberdeen (are we ?). I met Mrs RM at the Northern Hotel in Kittybrewster. She’d booked it for proximity to the University where she was fixing IT problems by turning things on and off again. Half the price of the City centre chains, a bit of Art Deco… Continue reading AGADOO-DO-DO THE OLD ABERDEEN GBG PUB
THE IRN-BRU, THE FITTIE, THE DOSSERS
Loads more of this stuff from Aberdeen and around. I hope you’re following on your own giant World wall chart at home. Arriving back in Aberdeen at 3.45pm on Day 1 of 3, I thought I’d better make a start on the four city newbies in the Guide. Can you guess what it is yet… Continue reading THE IRN-BRU, THE FITTIE, THE DOSSERS
GOURDON IS A M’OR DEN
My underpaid Blog Title Team excelled themselves with this one, I hope you agree. An hour in Gourdon, an hour constructing the blog, three hours for the title. So 2019. I would have liked to have worked “Howe of the Mearns” into the title, but you can’t have everything. The bus from Johnshaven was… Continue reading GOURDON IS A M’OR DEN
A TIMEWARP IN JOHNSHAVEN
A reminder of what the Aberdeen & Grampian section of the Beer Guide looks like. Two to do towards the Tayside border next. Look at WhatPub and you’ll see there’s not a huge difference between the GBG and WhatPub. Hopefully that means Scottish pubs only put on real ale if they’ve the right cellar,… Continue reading A TIMEWARP IN JOHNSHAVEN
SIX DEGREES NORTH
Just for clarification on that last post; I didn’t have the deep fried Mars bar. But a deep fried Turkish Delight would have been tempting. It was ten seconds walk from Stonehaven Pub 1 to Pub 2, the “perennial CAMRA award winner“. Fifteen with the stop for the duff photo of the Shorehead. Well, the… Continue reading SIX DEGREES NORTH