retiredmartin

The Yanks are over here (Europe), drinking our beer, now that it’s about a dollar a pint.

Boak and Bailey noted the loud Americans in old Nuremberg, and in Loch Lomondshire (not a real county, just one made up by CAMRA for tourists) Arrochar’s Village Inn was packed with them back in August as I closed in on Bute & Argyll.

All those peninsulas on the west coast of Scotland with isolated GBG ticks really scared me last year, particularly the one with Kilmartin on it, but those final ticks on Cowal will leave me with only the Highlands to conquer and there’s uncharacteristic joy in my heart as I join the tourists in Arrochar.

Arrochar is famed for the decommissioned torpedo testing facility awaiting conversion to a Brunning & Price, so the Village Inn has the lion’s share of upmarket pub diners for now.

Most folk are sitting outside watching for movements in Loch Long, while inside there’s competitive geography between a table of Americans from Maine and a table of Geordies.

There’s not much interest in the cask beers, even from tourists, and even though the Fyne Ales are superb and brewed just up the road.

I’ve only got the high table as an option, but it does give me a view of Arteta talking up Arsenal and the Geordies attempting to impress the Americans by naming the capitals of all the US states.

They get to about eight (8).

But don’t knock the Geordies, the Americans can’t name the music playing in the background.

Everyone else is eating a huge burger (not with their hands), it’s all very jolly in a casual dining way.

And in a summer of staff and supply shortages, we should be grateful places like Arrochar were able to feed and water us at all.

As long as those ferries just kept running another month or so, I might be able to do this.