A belated return to the celebrated (in North Korea) “Half a dozen pubs…” series, which I might finish by 22nd December. Talking of which, where will I be on the most important day of the year ?
Obviously, somewhere I’ve never been before, but a few new pubs would be nice.
What about Mid Calder ? Never been to Livingston. OR Bathgate, which Curry Charles tells me is the Dereham of the North.
No, seriously, new town, in a New Town, with a heritage pub to tick and then Edinburgh to explore.
The only problem with Edinburgh is picking just one for this GBG chapter (see also : Norfolk), so it’s inevitable your sixth choice will be one of Bow Bar/Halfway/Oxford/Diggers etc etc.
But I’ll pick the Abbotsford,
as it’s gorgeous AND it’s the place I met Stafford Paul for a “six pubs by lunchtime session” after the 2019 CAMRA AGM.
Comfy seating and superb, rich, beer from these fonts…
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Is it cheating to add a second pub from the city ?
Leith feels a different town, the walk there along The Water is one of the world’s great urban strolls, and it’s got one of the great modern hymns named after it,
and my only regret is that it’s too long ago since I did the Malt & Hops to include that one, but the Dreadnought had real grit,
and The Fall on the stereo,
and a weird love-in with Dulwich.
But it was the beer quality here (Fallen, NBSS 4.5) that made you re-evaluate your view of Scottish cask. Yes, you, BRAPA
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Sensational cask in the next one, and that’s because of the secret ingredient.
Musselburgh – Volunteer Arms (Staggs)
Yes, Staggs has an autovac that recycles spilled beer into the next pint, making it “chewy™ “, and probably not damaging the health of folk who eat deep-fried Irn Bru and Key Keg haggis balls.
With its mix of trade it would fit nicely alongside Kelham Island’s run of pubs, and if it still sells the nectar that is Green Devil I’d be there every night.
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South of the city now, along the Borders line to a classic mining village with austere church,
and a Gothenburg pub designed to be unattractive to drinkers.
Well, that clearly failed as the Dean was one of the most inviting of pubs outside the capital,
with a rare Scottish NBSS 4.
Who says the Scots can’t do lacings ?
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At last ! It’s the Scottish haggis supper.
It was one of the highlights of an overnight in North Berwick (not to be confused with Northampton), but the new GBG tick was even better,
The Auld Hoose a blokey drinking emporium with mysterious barrels above the bar (Bass from Bass Rock ?) and a stunning Orkney IPA.
I saw Scotland score a goal on TV while I was in there. I really did.
Anyhow, your nominations for a sixth pub welcome.
retiredmartin 
I’m struggling for a sixth pub because you’ve already got my favourite at No.1 – the Abbotsford.
Plus you’ve named some absolute stunners that I’d never even heard of. But how about Ryrie’s just outside Haymarket station? https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/49111/
In fact I have to go back there myself as it was so busy last time I was there that I didn’t write a review for Pubs Galore.
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Funny you should say Ryrie’s as it’s one of the half dozen new GBG pubs I have to do. Can that be right ? Was it called something else before ?
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Not as far as my memory goes, and Pubs Galore and WhatPub also have no record of a previous name.
The latest review on PG – which was about the same time as my visit – bemoans the pub’s non-appearance in the 2023 GBG, but the decription on WP says that it was “tastefully refurbished in 2022 by DM Stewart, who also own the Abbotsford, Cumberland Bar and Guilford Arms”, so maybe this change of ownership and likely improvement in beer quality was after the deadline for that year’s Guide.
I went in Ryries three days in a row in November 2022, and had Orkney Dark Island on each occasion. First time it was very good, but a bit lively. The next day it was NBSS 4, and the same the day after.
I actually managed to get a photo on the Camra heritage pubs site (now subsumed within Camra Experience), illustrating how the clutter above the bar back – seen in a previous photo by M. Slaughter – had been removed in the refurb: https://camra.org.uk/pubs/ryries-edinburgh-151386 (click on “view all”).
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Funny you should say Ryrie’s as I went there for the first time during my day north of the border last March.
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Ryrie’s has been so named since at least 1983, as the first time I visited would have been no later than August 1983.
I recall the steak pies were excellent, but remember nothing of the beer except that real ale was being served.
Mark Daniels
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Mark,
It was originally the Railway Inn and then the Haymarket Inn.
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The Bay City Rollers were formed in Ryrie’s. There’s a plaque so it must be true.
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Didn’t they do a song about autovacs ?
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So we sang shaka lack and we ran with the vac…
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Well played Bill.
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No it was “Bye Bye BBB, BBB Bye Bye” I think.
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There’s the other Volunteer Arms, in Dunbar.
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On my last trip to Edinburgh which I think was in 2019, the best pint of the weekend was in the Halfway House. But I guess you have already mentioned that in your introduction.
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2019 for me, too, Robin.
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The best Halfway House I’ve ever known is at Pitney.
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