06/02/18 - Linlithgow's Good Beer Guide Pubs

Pubs - 4 in total, 3 in the GBG
Distance - 2 Miles
Walk Inspiration - CAMRA Pub Walks in Edinburgh - Walk 20
Previous Edinburgh Pub Walks -  Rose Street, Royal Mile around the Castle, Around the Castle, Tollcross, Fountainbridge and Haymarket, Around Waverley, New Town, Royal Mile

The links above show that plenty of work has been completed in ticking off the GBG pubs of Edinburgh.  Time for a change - a 20 minute train ride out of Waverley delivers me to Linlithgow.

I've completed my research.  I know that its been a village since the C12th.  I know that when the Black Death hit Edinburgh, the Royal Palace moved here in 1349.  I know it to be the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots.

I didn't know it hosted the only pub in the land called the Black Bitch.

The Black Bitch, 14 West Port Street, 1 x Guinness

A walk from the station, along a wonderfully illuminated tow path, dotted with tiny fairy lights to show where its safe to put your feet.

The BB of Linlithgow.  There is only one BB in the land.

The Black Bitch is not a Good Beer Guide Entry but I couldn't resist the tweet that would be automatically sent from Untapped on check in.   Unsurprisingly, it was pre-censored.

Only in Scotland - Drinking a Guinness Draught by @GuinnessIreland @ The Black Btch Tavern — https://t.co/iO8wYQbTo2 #photo

— mappiman (@Mappiman1) February 6, 2018

No real ales, so a default pint of the black.  The two downstairs rooms are separated by a central bar.  I chose to share the lounge with a couple of old dears, demonstrating the cutting Scottish wit usually found in an episode of Still Game. 

Eavesdropping only interrupted when the male contents of the other front room squeezed through the bar to head upstairs.  Some sort of meeting to discuss the stranger in town?

Nope, just dominoes.

The type of community pub that I could have been entertained for longer in.  I should have bought the BB Pin Badge for £2.50 as a memento.

Embroidary

The Linlithgow Tap, 111 High Street, Fyne Ales Jarl

The former boozer known as "The Footballers and Cricketers" gets its mouthful of a name reduced to Tap.

Central Island bar guarded by a couple of octogenarians that must have been reaching the end of their shift.   They eyed me with suspicion as I looked at the hand pulls on offer.  I should have really looked at the chalk board.

Guardian 1, also guarding the Chalk Board - Guardian 2 hiding behind the Jarl

A chance to try a Jarl, which I had seen around but found impossible to ask for without adopting a yokel accent.

Despite the friendliness of the bar staff, the Guardians of the Bar were creating a strange, noiseless ambiance.  I was forced to turn the shutter click on my camera to silent to avoid rousing them from their slumber.

Time to move on.

The Four Marys, 67 High Street, Strathaven Duchess Anne

The official guide has only two pubs on the walk, so I have doubled the entertainment for the evening.  It was this place I was most looking forward to - tracing its history back to 1500.  Another uniquely named pub, taking inspiration from Mary Queen of Scots four ladies in waiting.   All called Mary.

Five Marys (if you include the Queen)

A nice chainy pub offering decent food, which I took advantage of the way only a man on expenses can.  I had a starter.  It was an egg.  You can guess what type of egg.

Fed and watered to the tune of three, I went for an explore to see if I could get to the castle by the loch.  Of course, it was all locked up at the main gate but I was able to find a side gate that led me into the pitch black walled gardens.  Too dark for a photo of anything apart from the Church, but at least I can say that I went there.   With the difficulties of finding the side gate to make my exit in the dark, its a wonder I am still not there now.

Cultural Interlude

A surprisingly short wall that takes us all the way to Her Maj, QEII

Platform 3, 1a High Street, Deuchars IPA

Saving the best to last, this is stone's throw from the station and handily has the departure noticeboard broadcast on a TV so you know when to leave five minutes too soon to hang around on a freezing platform.

Platform 3 - A rarely found excellent "Railway Pub"

This was packed solid.  The type of place you have to work hard to get to the bar and decide not to scan the Cask Marque barcode proudly displayed above it.

The Deuchars was in fine form and I managed to find a table next to the gents.   Always a good place to make friends.

And the place was packed full of them.  Blokey laughter a plenty, before some faces leave for a train and more enter to join the fun.  Only during the rare quiet interludes could you hear what sounded like rain but transpired to be a model train running on a high track around the room.

Turning into my favourite Scottish Tipple

A top pub and easy to see why it was by far the busiest place on a Tuesday.  I left at 10:12 to catch to the 10:20 but first to have a dither.

The rest of the pub joined me, with expertise honed through experience, at the exact moment the train pulled up.