Visiting north Scotland

It's a very long time since we were on the north coast, so I can't help from personal experience as to the current situation in the immediate vicinity. However if Ullapool is not too far for a day trip, then that is worth a visit. We were there recently and it has a decent selection of real ale pubs - the Ferryboat Inn probably being the best.

It may be worth looking at

For example searching on Location Thurso gets quite a few hits. Although the site info itself does not log whether real-ale is available, the comments (if any) on each pub quite often do.

Malcolm

I just had a look for a pub I know of; The Goose and Cuckoo, Gwent CAMRA's PotY; they don't have it.

That doesn't surprise me. Their site also omits many pubs that I know of. I also think that their rating and comments system is best ignored.

All I was suggesting that it may be useful for the OP to use the site to make a list of pubs that may be worth visiting.

Malcolm

A couple of weeks ago, we found The Morefield Motel about half a mile north much more user friendly, and they have beerfests.

snip

snip if Ullapool is not too far for a day

Ullapool is probably a bit to far at 3 hours each way but thanks for the suggestion.The trip to orkney sounds interesting.

Stuart Hudson

If you take the Orkney trip, try the lunchtime buffet upstairs in the Stromness Hotel, but the cask ale is better in the downstairs bar!

Ooh Ooh! Orkney Dark Island ale. Incredible.

The difference between beer in the 1st floor bar and the "Flattie Bar" on the ground floor is the temperature of the beer (and 20p). IMHO the Flattie serves it well below optimal temperature (they run it through a chiller), but I've been told that's deliberate - the clientelle of the Flattie apparently prefer it that way.

Having just come back from a trip to Orkney, I can recommend the Stromness Hotel and the Ferry Inn in Stromness - they are about 100 yards apart.

In Kirkwall, there are 4 real ale outlets - Helgi's, Shore Inn, Ayre Hotel and the Bothy Bar (Albert Hotel). My vote goes to the Bothy Bar which has three handpumps, the others only have one handpump each, and they were all selling Highland Scapa Special when I was there (it is an excellent brew, by the way).

Unfortunately, I didn't have time to try the outlets on the other islands - according to the information I have, there are real ale outlets on Sanday, Westray and Hoy, but I can't vouch for the accuracy of that information.

There are two breweries on Orkney - Orkney Brewery and Highland Brewery, both of them brew excellent beers. Highland Brewery's Scapa Special can be found in just about every real ale pub on Orkney Mainland.

Real ale outlets on the Scottish mainland include the Central Hotel in Thurso, which sells a lot of beer from Highland Brewery. There is also a Wetherspoon's in Wick - The Alexander Bain.

There is also the Scourie Hotel, which is in the Good Beer Guide, but I have never tried the ale there (on my only visit some years ago, I was driving).

The difference between beer in the 1st floor bar and the "Flattie Bar" on the ground floor is the temperature of the beer (and 20p). IMHO the Flattie serves it well below optimal temperature (they run it through a chiller), but I've been told that's deliberate - the clientelle of the Flattie apparently prefer it that way.

Having just come back from a trip to Orkney, I can recommend the Stromness Hotel and the Ferry Inn in Stromness - they are about 100 yards apart.

In Kirkwall, there are 4 real ale outlets - Helgi's, Shore Inn, Ayre Hotel and the Bothy Bar (Albert Hotel). My vote goes to the Bothy Bar which has three handpumps, the others only have one handpump each, and they were all selling Highland Scapa Special when I was there (it is an excellent brew, by the way).

Unfortunately, I didn't have time to try the outlets on the other islands - according to the information I have, there are real ale outlets on Sanday, Westray and Hoy, but I can't vouch for the accuracy of that information.

There are two breweries on Orkney - Orkney Brewery and Highland Brewery, both of them brew excellent beers. Highland Brewery's Scapa Special can be found in just about every real ale pub on Orkney Mainland.

Real ale outlets on the Scottish mainland include the Central Hotel in Thurso, which sells a lot of beer from Highland Brewery. There is also a Wetherspoon's in Wick - The Alexander Bain.

There is also the Scourie Hotel, which is in the Good Beer Guide, but I have never tried the ale there (on my only visit some years ago, I was driving).