Traditional Scottish Pubs

Pubs are an essential, indelible part of life in Scotland: they’re the froth to its pint, the glint to its glass, the glowing hearthside to its rug. The country’s drinking houses range from time-burnished taverns to grotty backstreet boozers, but every single one of them plays a part in lubricating the wheels of day-to-day life. They’re where ideas are formed, where friendships are forged, and where histories are played out. Without its pubs, Scotland would quite simply be a different place.

But among the multitude of places to drink, certain options stand out by virtue of their extraordinary pasts. Few places bear witness to the passage of time quite so reliably as a pub, and it’s those well-aged, traditional institutions that we’re focusing on here. So settle in. It’s our round.

BOOTS BAR
Clachaig Inn, Glencoe

If you’re familiar with the gargantuan ridgelines of Glencoe, you’re most likely also familiar with the feeling of tramping off the slopes at the end of the day, your soles muddy and your calves aching (but your spirits generally soaring). In such instances, fatigued climbers and hillwalkers – and indeed anyone who happens to be passing through in need of a pint – have a habit of turning their attention to a certain establishment in a prime panoramic spot on the valley floor.

The Clachaig Inn has reportedly been drawing in climbers and other wayfarers for more than 300 years. It’s known that Sir Hugh Munro himself (the avid mountaineer who gave his name to any Scottish peak higher than 3,000 feet) came here, as did the likes of William W Naismith (inventor of Naismith’s Rule, the maxim for estimating the duration of a hike) and the pioneering alpinist J Norman Collie. More recently, in 1962, it was here that Hamish MacInnes founded the local mountain rescue team. 
The Clachaig is climbing, and climbing is the Clachaig. 

But while the inn’s modern incarnation now has multiple accommodation options and three different bars, attention among hill-hardened patrons still largely focuses on one drinking area: the legendary Boots Bar. Picture a rough slate floor, chopped wood stacked ceiling-high, climbing memorabilia on the walls, a blazing log-burner, and an eminently drinkable selection of whiskies and cask ales. There’s even regular live music.

The outdoor writer Alex Roddie, who spent more than two years working behind the bar here, once wrote that he grew to see the Clachaig “as a sort of special universe, a magic bubble where like-minded hill folk get together and hatch grand plans over a pint or three before staggering, hungover but determined, up into the mountains together the next day.” Needless to say, muddy boots are welcome.

SEE & DO NEARBY

Glencoe Visitor Centre

Takes you through the area’s remarkable geology, flora and fauna, as well as detailing the grisly Glencoe Massacre of 1692.

Pap of Glencoe

A memorable (and manageable) ascent for intermediate hikers in search of a fine viewpoint. There’s some basic scrambling to the 742-metre summit.

The Lost Valley

Another great walk in the glen, with a sharp ascent leading you into a large peak-ringed plateau hidden from the outside world.
 

OTHER PLACES TO EAT & DRINK NEARBY

Glencoe Café

An uncomplicated but enjoyable local café in Glencoe Village, serving breakfasts, light lunches and hot drinks.

Laroch Restaurant & Bar

A more upmarket option in nearby Ballachulish, with an emphasis on local produce, paired flavours and refined presentation.

MOULIN INN
Pitlochry

On the southern fringes of the Cairngorms, where the River Tummel flows through Perthshire, you’ll find the town of Pitlochry. It’s been popular with visitors since the mid-19th century, thanks in part to Queen Victoria passing through on her jollies in 1842, and many of the buildings in the area date from the same era. Some, however, are even older. As you climb out of town and reach the tiny village of Moulin, a large whitewashed building appears, complete with hanging baskets and sash windows. This is the Moulin Inn, and like countless travellers before you, you’d do well to step inside.     

The inn first opened its doors in 1695 – for context, that’s a full quarter of a century before the birth of Bonnie Prince Charlie – and was initially a fairly modest establishment, with three floors each holding two rooms. One of these doubled as a meeting space for village elders (for the business of deciding which local ne’er-do-wells should be tied to a tree and pelted with unmentionables), but even from the start the place was rooted in Highland hospitality. By the 1880s its reputation had led to not one but two extensions, resulting in more rooms, more kitchen space and more drinking areas.  

Stride forward to today and you’ll find an inn-cum-hotel that features everything from holiday cottages to its own microbrewery (here since 1995, so predating the modern trend by some time). The interiors are all wood panelling, stained glass, tartan curtains and snug tables – a pleasingly rustic environment for a fireside drink, with good dining options too. And don’t be thrown by the name. ‘Moulin’ has nothing to do with French windmills, instead deriving from ‘maohlinn’, meaning ‘small rounded hill’.

SEE & DO NEARBY

Microbrewery

Free tours of the microbrewery – one of Scotland’s oldest – can be arranged on weekdays between 10am and 4pm.

Blair Athol Distillery

Keep the historical vibe going by visiting this nearby distillery, open since 1798 and an easy walk from Pitlochry.

Queen’s View

A few miles out of town lies a show-stealing viewpoint across Loch Tummel. The spot is said to take its name after Queen Victoria stopped here.

OTHER PLACES TO EAT & DRINK NEARBY

Escape Route

A Pitlochry bike shop with its own well-run café, serving everything from coffee and cake to pizzas, burgers and ciabattas.

Cidsin Bistro & Gin Bar

Because sometimes only a curry will do. Cidsin not only focuses on modern Indian cuisine but also has its own gin bar. What more could you wish for?

THE POT STILL
Glasgow

Here’s one of the first things you need to know about Glasgow’s much-celebrated Pot Still: you could come here for 800 nights in a row and order a different whisky on each occasion. As its name suggests, this family-run Hope Street hideaway prides itself on its bewildering array of single malts and international tipples, drawing awards not just for its range of drinks but for the owners’ come-one-come-all approach to hospitality. A novice to whisky? Not a problem. You’ll learn plenty from the folk behind the bar.

But it wasn’t always the Pot Still. The earliest records of the bar stretch back to 1867, when it was under the management of a wine and spirits merchant named John Hill. By 1886, a new owner meant the premises had been renamed McCall’s Bar, and the pub remained in the hands of the McCall family until the corporate tendrils of Tennent’s took hold in the 1960s. In 1981 – now rebadged as The Pot Still – it became a family operation again, staying this way when current owners the Murphys took over in 2011.

And so things remain today, with the bar still tucked cosily behind a bottle-green, gold-lettered frontage, and the gantry still groaning under the collective weight of whiskies from around the globe. Whisky tastings are organised throughout the year, with private tasting sessions an option, while a selection of gins, cask ales and soft drinks mean you don’t need to be a whisky-lover to pay a visit. The pub even does homemade pies – as well as haggis, neeps and tatties, and veggie and vegan options – to stave off any rumbling hunger pangs. So all things considered, you don’t need much excuse to linger here and while away the hours.

SEE & DO NEARBY

King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut

This legendary live music venue showcases new and established acts, less than 10 minutes’ walk from the Pot Still.

Gallery of Modern Art

The GoMA is one of Glasgow’s top cultural draws, standing as the most visited modern art gallery in Scotland.

Glasgow Film Theatre

The city’s original independent cinema is one of the best-attended in the UK, with a diverse mix of films. It’s home to the Glasgow Film Festival.

OTHER PLACES TO EAT & DRINK NEARBY

Ardnamurchan Restaurant & Bar

This Hope Street eatery sources much of its produce from the Highlands and islands – expect seafood, Speyside steaks and good veggie options.

The Butterfly & The Pig

A fabulously named restaurant-bar on nearby Bath Street, with vintage décor, jumbled furniture and a zeitgeisty menu.

THE CLACHAN INN
St John’s Town of Dalry

This unassuming-looking tavern is said to be the oldest registered licensed pub in the whole of Scotland, with the official date given as 1734. As if this weren’t ancient enough, however, it’s also claimed that the inn’s history stretches back even further, and that Rob Roy’s sister was once the landlady. So it’s fair to say that the pub has been witness to more than its fair share of history. 

The name translates as ‘a building of stone’, which in itself harks back to an era when many structures were made from turf, and its location in the charming but wordily named village of St John’s Town of Dalry gives it a plum spot on the outskirts of the Galloway Forest Park. The pub also sits midway along the Southern Upland Way, which when combined with the fact that it’s long been a fixture in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide, makes it the kind of establishment that a hiker might concoct as a fantasy after a long day’s walk. 

The food, too, is a cut above the norm. You can expect the likes of slow-cooked ox tongue, Kircudbright-landed king scallops and BBQ baby harissa aubergine (our guess is that the menu was slightly different under Rob Roy’s sister) and six guestrooms mean you only have to stumble up the stairs when you’re fully sated. The pub has garnered industry awards for everything from its friendliness to its drinks list, which gives you plenty to enjoy while you play a board game in front of the fire and nurse your pint. One more before you retire to bed? The answer, when you’re somewhere with a past this layered, is always yes.

SEE & DO NEARBY

Dark Sky Park

If the nights are drawing in, all the better to step outside and venture into the Galloway Forest Park, the first area in the UK to be designated with Dark Sky Park status.

Clay Pigeon Shooting

Nearby, the private, 11,000-acre Forrest Estate specialises in country sports, including clay pigeon shooting.

Raiders Road Otter Pools

On a fine day, there’s no more enjoyable picnic spot than this recently restored series of shallow pools in the Galloway Forest Park.

OTHER PLACES TO EAT & DRINK NEARBY

The Smithy

Based in nearby New Galloway, this popular café does things very much the right way, with homemade pasta, jacket spuds, traybakes, and far more.

Ken Bridge Hotel

Also in New Galloway, this Georgian coaching inn has a princely riverbank setting. The bar’s open to non-residents, but note that meals are for guests only.

THE MISHNISH
Tobermory

he harbourside at Tobermory is a famously photogenic affair. It wasn’t by chance that it was chosen as the location for children’s TV show Balamory; something about it suggests a kind of unquenchable optimism. Brightly painted facades adorn the restaurants and shopfronts – navy-blue here, salmon-pink there – while houses huddle on the green hills above and fishing boats dot the water below. It’s a peaceable, pastel-hued scene, and in the middle of all this jollity stands a pub with a strange name, a lemon-yellow frontage and a long history: the Mishnish.

This multi-room inn first welcomed drinkers back in 1869, and in the intervening years its star has risen to see it become one of the most iconic bars in Scotland. Mull, after all, is no secret, and while Tobermory might be small, it is very much the island’s de facto capital.  Sailors, musicians, tourists and locals all know the allure of ‘the Mish’, and live music sessions are still a regular fixture. It’s also been long established as a fine place to eat, with the Mishdish (get it?) Restaurant serving up fresh seafood and other plates.

The main bar is adept at waylaying visitors long into the night. Think chunky fireplaces, rough wood panelling, deep padded benches, corner snugs, and a suitably sizeable choice of whiskies and other drinks. There are numberless good reasons to pay a visit to Mull – the scenery, the wildlife, the history, the chance to sidestep the crowds and disappear into the hills – but the Mishnish probably warrants a mention in its own right. Certainly this much is true: to stroll out into the fresh salty air of the harbour after an evening here is to know you’ve spent your time wisely.

SEE & DO NEARBY

Tobermory Distillery

Pay a visit to Tobermory’s own distillery, first founded way back in 1798. It remains the only whisky distillery on Mull – formally, at least.

Iona

Mull is an unfettered joy, and so too is little Iona, a spiritual island which can be reached by catching a ferry from Mull’s southwestern tip.

Staffa

Take a boat trip to the Isle of Staffa, to see the geological marvel that is Fingal’s Cave and – if you’re here in season – breeding puffins.

OTHER PLACES TO EAT & DRINK NEARBY

Isle of Mull Ice Cream

Ah, go on. You’re on holiday. Made using produce from the only dairy farm on the island, with flavours ranging from Tobermory whisky to Black Forest gateau.

Café Fish

Seafood done properly. This Tobermory institution has been going since 2006 and has previously been named UK Fish Restaurant of the Year.

DEACON BRODIES
Edinburgh

Heard the one about the cabinet-maker who doubled as a burglar? William Brodie was a prominent figure in 18th-century Edinburgh, born into a well-to-do family and rising to become the Deacon (or president) of Wrights and Masons. His work involved not just the intricate craft of carpentry but also locksmithing, which in turn led to his darker alter ego – by day a respectable married citizen, by night a key-cloning housebreaker trying to fund a lifestyle of mistresses and gambling. After being caught burgling an excise office, he was hanged in 1788.

But while his remains are buried away in a nearby graveyard, his complicated tale – which is said to have been the real-life inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde – lives on in the form of Deacon Brodies Tavern. The pub has been in place on the Royal Mile since 1806 and continues to exude a woody, old-time atmosphere, with particular mention going to the spectacularly ornate ceiling, embossed with carved thistles.

The gin-palace vibe is also apparent in the drinks list, which offers countless spirits and ales, as well as wines and cocktails. It’s unlikely that Brodie himself had the chance to indulge in a chilled rosé Prosecco or Porn Star Martini, but you can. If you’re hungry, meanwhile, the pie-centric food menu is just the thing to fill you up before exploring the rest of the Old Town. The castle and Waverley Station are both close by, and mere steps away you’ll find an alleyway named Brodie’s Close, which is where William and his family once lived. Just keep an eye out for any suspicious-looking cabinet-makers…

SEE & DO NEARBY

Camera Obscura & World of Illusions

In place since 1853, the city’s Camera Obscura is a now a five-floor, illusion-filled visitor magnet.

Edinburgh Castle

There’s an outside chance you might just have heard of this place. It’s about five minutes away by foot.

Museum on the Mound

Money on your mind? Located in a former Bank of Scotland head office, this museum takes a fascinating look at notes and banking.

OTHER PLACES TO EAT & DRINK NEARBY

David Bann

A licensed vegetarian restaurant with a creative menu and global flavours.

La Garrigue

Expect family-style cooking at this rustic French restaurant, which counts Gordon Ramsay as a fan.

GLOBE INN
Dumfries

Known to be the favoured inn (or ‘howff’) of Robert Burns – which is the kind of PR coup that marketing professionals fall over themselves for – the Globe has been doing its thing since 1610. The poet was a regular when he lived close by from 1788 until his death in 1796, and would likely have drunk claret or tuppeny ale. The pub still sits just off Dumfries High Street and oozes old-world atmosphere, not least in the so-called Burns Rooms, where tours allow guests to sit in the great man’s chair, recite verse at his desk, and even peer pruriently at the bed where he had an affair with the landlady’s niece (the subject of his poem The Gowden Locks of Anna).

Much of the Globe’s story is shaped by its landlords and landladies. Arguably the best known is Jane Smith, who spent six decades at the helm here and was considered so highly by the Burns Howff Club – founded in 1889 – that she became its first female honorary member. Later came the McKerrow family, who were in charge for even longer, from 1937 to 2008, and who supplied two different presidents to the World Burns Federation. Incidentally, if you’re noticing that the Bard is something of an obsession here, you’d be bang on the money.

The fact that worldwide visitors still pour through the doors also provides a nice symmetry with the inn’s name, which was said to stem from its proximity to port village Carsethorn, and the busy global trade route it once oversaw. On a more contemporary note, you can bet your last tuppeny that the food and drink has never been as good as it is now, with Michelin-starred chefs in the kitchen and one of the largest collections of single malts in Scotland.

SEE & DO NEARBY

Caerlaverock Castle

South of Dumfries you’ll find this unusual triangular fortress, surrounded by a moat and dating back to medieval times.

Dumfries & Galloway Aviation Museum

Focusing mainly on World War Two, this independent museum has a fine collection of aircraft, including a Spitfire from the Battle of Britain.

Robert Burns House

If you’re serious about a Burns pilgrimage, don’t miss this sandstone house where the poet once lived.

OTHER PLACES TO EAT & DRINK NEARBY

Stove Café

Coffee, toasties and traybakes are all on offer at this social enterprise, community hub, and arts and events venue.

The Back Street

A relaxed restaurant in central Dumfries, serving modern British dishes with good veggie options.

STEIN INN
Skye

Some pubs make you work for your pint. If you’re arriving onto Skye by road, it takes a full 1 hour 20 minutes to navigate your vehicle up to the Stein Inn, which has been staring out to sea from the coast of the lovely Waternish peninsula since the 18th century. Don’t expect televisions or phone signal – although Wi-Fi is, more often than not, available – but do ready yourself for a pub with a past. As testified by the wooden sign above the threshold, where the year 1790 is carved in relief, this is the oldest inn on Skye.

Over the past 230 years, the pub has witnessed plenty. It forms part of a small shoreline settlement – also called Stein – which was originally planned as a fishing village by the British Fisheries Society. The layout of the village was subsequently designed by engineer extraordinaire Thomas Telford, although his plans were never fully completed, grinding to a halt in 1798. This seems to have had little impact on the fortunes of the pub, however, and today its whitewashed, interlinked buildings still stand proud under dark roof tiles and dormer windows.

In the ‘60s and ‘70s, legendary folk singer Donovan was a regular. It’s that sort of place. These days, with multiple CAMRA awards under its belt and a food menu that includes fresh langoustines, mussels, crabs and lobsters – all landed on a slipway close by – the inn has long been accustomed to feeding and watering visitors to this part of Skye. Its interior ticks many of the traditional boxes (rough stone walls, log-burners, wood panelling, overhead beams), and if ale’s not your thing, don’t be disheartened – you’ll also find some 130 single malts to choose from.

SEE & DO NEARBY

Skyeskyns

A showroom and traditional tannery stocking high-quality sheepskins. Tours of the tannery can be arranged for free.

Cuckoo Tree Art Studio

Printmaker Denise Huddleston runs this nearby art studio, with beautiful prints that often feature local birdlife.

Waternish Point

Make your way out to this remote spot for sea views and a good chance of spotting whales and dolphins.

OTHER PLACES TO EAT & DRINK NEARBY

Loch Bay Restaurant

Michael Smith is at the helm of this Michelin-starred, seafood-focused restaurant. His multi-course Skye Fruits de Mer menu is one for a special occasion.

YURTea & Coffee

A pop-up tea tent at Skyeskyns Tannery, with wood-burning stoves, artisan coffee, cakes and more.