retiredmartin

Yes, get the spoiler in early.

For most folk, Glasgow means two things. A nine (9) minute train to Paisley Gilmour Street’s cultural highlights,

And curry.

Oh, and a bloke with a traffic cone on his head.

But some great pubs, too, and compared to the Scottish capital a bit easier to find them outside the big city.

But we start in that Big City, and a reminder of Scotland’s finest moment,

Glasgow – Bon Accord

even if the deflation came 4 minutes later.

There’s a checklist somewhere on Scotland’s best pubs.  For a starter, it’ll include the following;

• Masses of brown wood
• Proper seating
• Whisky of the Day
• Cask about 5 degrees cooler than in London
• A proper head on the beer
• A beer you’ve heard of (let’s call it Deuchars)
• An Oakham beer
• A stuffed animal
• Giant whisky barrels
• A reminder of past glories

All present and correct on my last visit, rather too long ago for comfort.

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Glasgow – Laurieston

I couldn’t leave it out, and it’s tempting to label it “Glasgow Gorbals” to distinguish it from the merchant city, but the Laurieston really feels a world apart.

Wonderful seating, and music from a different time, too. It seemed to acquire revered status, a bit like the Royal Oak in Borough, a decade ago and remains the essential Glasgow pub.

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Let’s head west for Scotland’s most underrated town.

Paisley – Wee Howff

“The best pubs are the ones you can’t explain” I wrote about my last visit on 22 December (ring a bell) 2021.

“The Wee Howf, back in the GBG after a holiday, just had the perfect atmosphere. Blondie’s “Atomic” the pick from a 1980 selection, a drunk lady shouting “I’m 44” (I’m 57, Miss), and a sense of chaos and peace forever on the edge.

Everyone was drinking Bud and Heineken apart from us, but still the Kelburn was the beer of the night, a cool, rich NBSS 3.5.“

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Almost back to the borders for my next choice,

Strathaven – Weavers

the Weavers a top all-rounder in a charming South Lanarkshire town, proud of its GBG sticker collection.

“Maureen the fantastic landlady told me all about the history buried under the tate, and offered me her home-made sandwiches. I declined, to the amazement of Davy at the bar.” 

A rare GBG entry between Glasgow and Carlisle, which brings us to the elephant in the room that is the

Take out the Wetherspoons and you’re left with slim pickings. And, as we’ve seen with other pub companies, you can’t rely on chains to commit to cask if it’s not selling.

So let’s celebrate a Spoons while you think of a pub to make up my half-dozen.

Greenock (which I shall always call Morton) – The James Watt

Twinned with Paisley, so worth a visit to compare the two town’s competing claims for UNESCO Heritage listing, my two visits to the James Watt produced beer to match anything in Scotland.

Just a shame about the dimpled jug.