DUNBLANE
Dunblane is a small 'city', as it has a cathedral found just off of the M9 between Stirling and Perth.
It is famous as the home town of Andy and Jamie Murray of tennis fame.
Dunblane can be reached by train easily. Trains to and from Aberdeen from both Edinburgh and Glasgow pass through it
Judged one of The Sunday Times’ Best Places to Live 2022
There are only a few drinking establishments. Two right bedside the station and two further along.
Beside the station are The Village Inn and The Dunblane Hotel. Walking past these and across a bridge is The Riverside. Then walk up the town towards the Cathedral and, there, opposite the Cathedral is The Tappit Hen. Also, opposite the Cathedral is The Old Churches Hotel which has a small bar associated with its Brasserie.
Judged a Sunday Times “Best Place to Live” 2020
All were visited on the same evening and Tappit Hen was packed while the none of the rest even reached double figures in customers
The Village Inn
The Village Inn has three rooms. The main bar area is at the entrance. This has a bar with some stools, standing room and two tall tables. Up, four steps to the left, is a room with several booths along the outside wall and some tables and chairs in the middle. Along to the right of the bar is a passage to another room with several booths, tables & chairs, pool and darts. All areas have a TV.
Have one here
Real ale: two pumps but both off
bitter Bellhaven Best
Lager :Bellhaven Craft Pilsner; Stella; Tennent's
cider : Strongbow Guinness
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The website of the Campaign for Real Ale
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A selection of recommended books covering all aspects of beer and brewing. There are books on the history of beer and others on different styles of beer.
For example
An Inebriated History of Britain by Peter Haydon
Amber, Gold & Black by Martyn Cornell
Brew Britannia by Jessica Boak & Ray Bailey
The Story of the Pint by Martyn Cornell
Miracle Brew by Pete Brown
Built to Brew by Lynn Pearson
And many more
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A selection of recommended books on pubs and their history. There are books on the social history of pubs and the design of pubs through the ages.
There are also books on visiting pubs and ones recommending pubs to visit.
CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide
Death of the English Pub by Christopher Hutt
Brewers, Brands and the Pubs in their Hands by Tony Thornton
Licensed to Sell by Brandwood, Davidson & Slaughter
And many more
The Dunblane Hotel
The Dunblane Hotel has a separate lounge and bar. The lounge is entered by the right-hand door of the building. The lounge has a nice comfortable feel with friendly locals. The servery, with stools, is in the middle of the far wall of a narrow room. There is seating around the sides to the left of the bar by the entrance. Some tall tables are opposite the bar counter. Beyond the bar is a square room with padded wall seating and tables with chairs where food can be eaten. This room overlooks the river.
The bar can be entered via a corridor from the lounge serving common toilets and entrance to beer garden, or by a door in the side wall of the building. The bar is disappointing and looks unloved compared to the lounge. Back bar was almost bear, bottles missing from sprits gantry and an empty fridge.
Have one here
Real ale :Landlord (two pumps not on) but ONLY in lounge
bitter : John Smiths, McEwan's Export
Lager : Heineken; Tennent's; Carling
cider : Blackthorn Guinness
Pub Jukebox:
Alcohol themed music to listen to while you browse.
pretty good at drinking at drinking beer - Billy Currington
Riverside ★
The Riverside is an open plan restaurant with a really nice bar. Everything is done in wood -floor, bar counter and tables and chairs. From the entrance the bar servery is to the left of the room while tables and seating is in the area to the right which has a log burner in the corner. The terrace overlooking the river can be accessed from here. The servery area has some small tables and chairs along the side wall and a couple of tall tables by the entrance door.
Further through on the right are two rooms set aside for dining on the very good food at reasonable prices.
It is a short trail so have a couple here
Real ale: : Ca' Canny (replaced with Dark Moor) both Kelburn; Deuchers; Haggis Hunter (Harviestoun)
bitter : Caledonian 80/-;
Lager : Schiehallion; Amstel; 1664; Birra Moretti
Tappit Hen ★
Tappit Hen is a one roomed pub. The bar servery is to the right of the room and padded bench seating is around the rest of the room and into the middle.
It is a short trail so have a couple here
Regular in Good Ber Guide (CAMRA) …..including 2023, 2024, 2025
Real ale : Lia Fail (Inveralmond); Moorland original Bitter; Abbot; Blonde Bombshell and Killellan (both Houston)
bitter/heavy : Belhaven Best
Lager : Stella; Tennent's; Carling
Cider : Strongbow Guinness
PUB QUIZ
What was the first UK number 1 to pose a question?
Answer at foot of page
PLACES TO VISIT WITH PUBTRAILS
The towns and villages highlighted on this web site have a wide variety of pubs and beers in them. All of the places are great to visit, whether for a day or longer, and most have tourist attractions for all of the family.
There is a large variety of pubs throughout the different towns shown below. Some you may wish never to visit again but even discovering these can be interesting. There are pubs that you would not take your wife into. While some you could not take your girlfriend into. A few you would not take either into. However, most of the pubs are very pleasant.
HOME MAP of places visited
Alnwick Ambleside Anstruther Bakewell Bamburgh Barnard Castle Bath Berwick upon Tweed Birnam & Dunkeld Bourton on the Water Bowness on Windermere Bridge of Allan Chester Chichester Dunblane Dunoon Edinburgh Ely Fort William Glasgow Gourock Greenock Helensburgh Inverness Kelso Keswick Knaresbourgh Largs Linlithgow Lyme Regis Melrose Montrose Newton Stewart North Berwick Norwich Oban Pebbles Penzance Portree Pitlochry Quorn Richmond Rothesay St Andrews Seahouses Seend Shrewsbury Skipton Stirling Stratford-upon-Avon Stockton Heath Whitby Windemere Whitstable York
“love cooking with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.”
— W C Fields
ANSWER: How much is that doggie in the window