Fellow Backroomers were very helpful in identifying a few pubs around Newcastle suitable for lunch when Mr and Mrs Daveyjp and some friends spent a weekend up in Northumberland earlier this year. The chosen venue was just as described and we enjoyed our meal.
So the challenge is back!
Next Friday the same party of four will be travelling north of the Border to spend the weekend north of Stirling. We will be leaving Bolton West services at about 10.00am. From past trips Glasgow is about 3 hours from Bolton so if anyone has any recommendations for decent pubs south or east of Glasgow just off the M74 post them here.
Over to you!
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My well thumbed copy of the 2004 Good Pub Guide is very short of information re pubs in Scotland! Not that there aren't any good ones, they just don't get reported on, much. There is a hotel called The Swan in Kingholme Quay just South of Dumfries and about 10 miles off the M 74. OS Grid Ref NX9773 Typical specials include steak and ale pie and lamb in red wine, Theakstons beer among others. Futher South, near Penrith, is the Queen's Head in Tirril OS Grid NY 5126; loads of real ales, as it is a pub guide and very good food but it is a bit south of where you want. No other choices within about 75 miles!
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The swan is about 25-30 mins off the motorway.
Same junction but much much closer to the motorway is the town of Moffat. Nice pub/hotels (as is the way in the borders)that do good grub. Cant remember any names except maybe one that had a royal sounding name.
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This link mentions guests' recommendation for the Swan Hotel in Moffat:
tinyurl.com/9sxme
This is a website with a guide to pubs, food etc in the UK:
tinyurl.com/9r3jf
Once stayed at a b and b in Moffat (I think it was called the Old Schoolhouse) run by a couple originally from Bolton.
Cheap, as is the case up in Scotland, but delightful property and great, proper Scottish breakfast.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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Just looked up The Star - It's the narrowest detached hotel in the UK!
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Davey, if you are looking at just south of Glasgow then you could be looking at Bothwell, Hamilton and Motherwell.
Bothwell is a very "upmarket" area and they have some cracking eateries like
Italian - Da Lucianos www.morrisinns.com/lucianos.asp
Cricklewood Hotel - can't find a link but excellent reviews
There are also various Chinese , Indian etc - can you be a bit more specific of what you are looking for - is it real pub grub in a pub atmosphere, or a bit more plusher??
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>>looking at Bothwell, Hamilton and Motherwell.>>
Last time I was in Hamilton I couldn't wait to get out fast enough.
Bit rough in the main area where we stopped to find a Spar type shop or supermarket...:-)
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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pubs around the glasgow area are not renowned for food, drink however is a different matter if you are looking for a traditional pub with food avoid any areas with large housing areas get off the beaten track even a little, some of the villages have decent country pubs avoid hamiton area at all costs and dont go near larkhall.. baghdad is a friendlier place with less religious bigotry...cheers...keo.
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If you have an English accent and English-registered car, drive past Hamilton and the next junction without considering going either right or left; avoid also the service areas. I went to school not too far away and my in-laws still live there but I can think of nothing much to recommend it.
As mentioned above, Moffat is pleasant has a couple of hotels doing lunches and even high tea. I recall an old-style Italian ice cream cafe/chip shop a few years back. And the souvenir shops will be either closed or in winter sale mode so you may escape with buying only lunch.
However, my first stop over the Border is take-away fish or haggis and chips in Lockerbie at the chippie right in the middle of town; park in the station car park. Any of the butchers there also do very good haggis on the return journey.
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As recommended above Moffat is a good place to stop for a break. I stopped there about ten years ago and the hotel where we had lunch was one of the old haunts of Rabbie Burns. It even had a window where he had scratched his initials. Good meal too. No doubt much has changed since then but I would still recommend the town.
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If you have an English accent and English-registered car, drive past Hamilton and the next junction without considering going either right or left;
Harmattan- what carp is that all about? If you said that about any ethnic or religious group you would be hammered. Who nowadays would be able to recognise from a car reg where it came from? What do you think is going to happen to them if they drop in for lunch? Dragged back to Hadrians wall?
The next junction that you refer to is for Bothwell- average house price there is probably about £300K. It is where many of the Scottish entrepreneurs and top footballers live, of all coloursa and all races.
Yes there are even some English amongst them.
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And going back to the original post, I think Moffat is about 50 miles or so outside of Glasgow, my interpretation of his request was looking for something "just south" of Glasgow, not almost an hour away.
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[Now dismounting from my extremely large horse]
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BobbyG!
That is good advice even if you have a "wrong", ie went to a decent school, Scotch accent!
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