BRAPA is .... MADE IN SCOTLAND FROM GIRDERS IN BORDERS AT LAST ORDERS (Part 2/2)

Saturday September 13th 2025

To recap from part one, I was in Scotland (Melrose to be precise) on a long enforced weekend due to train disruption. I'd just had my first sighting of the new 2026 Good Beer Guide pages for Borders and Edinburgh. And perhaps most thrillingly of all, FIVE consecutive pints of high quality Scottish cask, a new BRAPA record ....

Make that SIX as the Tempest Armadillo is on fine form, as it had been in Alnwick a year ago. I'd also had it at the final racecourse York beer festival. The beer stats that actually make Untappd a useful resource .... which I often wobble over in my quieter moments, should I quit for good, one less thing to do? George & Abbotsford Hotel, Melrose (3356 / 5842) was another smart, warm and comfy hotel bar, more Scottish than even Roddy Manley, Ken Eadie or Albert Kidd. But I'm soon accosted by two lovely Lothian ladies called Julie and Kirsty, having their own Borders day on the piss. They met at the school gate dropping their kids off and became friends. The older one likes my accent, which is nice because it is a rare blend of North Yorkshire and Saffron Walden with a twist of Australian from watching too much Neighbours. You can't go far in Scottish pub ticking without a good social interaction, and this dynamic duo tell me they'll join me for my next pub too.

Well, it is only next door .....

My first tick which hadn't featured in the 2025 GBG, so at this point I had to pretend it was 'pre-emptive'. Kings Arms Hotel, Melrose didn't fill Jules and Kirsts with too much hope as they'd been here earlier and found it gloomy, chilly and lacking any atmosphere. But things had changed. A light is on. And some music. A supercilious bar blocker nearly denies me an Edinburgh Gold. Stewart beers can be well dodgy in past experience, plus they have dire glassware, but this is real good. SEVEN IN A ROW. Then it gets proper crazy as we are joined by five blondes and a non-blonde - all the perfect fit for Jules & Kirsts descent into drunk oblivion and a great time for me to sneak off back to Edinburgh for a 'quiet pint'.

Although I'm not sure I'd chosen the right destination for my quiet pint, but tickers can't be choosers ......

'Tis always chaos in and around Waverley station, and true I'd 'looked' at The Booking Office, Edinburgh many times before without ever setting foot inside. Always a mistake with 'Spoons, particularly Scottish 'Spoons - they'll all make the GBG eventually. Was this a debutant? I wasn't sure. It is mayhem inside. Not a small place by any means, 'Spoons rarely are, but I have to do two circular 'sweeps' of the entire room before a kind gent takes pity on me and allows me to perch between him, a bin and some condiments. Not to mention the sentient coffee machine. I was feelin' a bit wobbly myself atop this high stool, but I tell yer what, the Ossian drank supremely. EIGHT in a row, look at those lacings. Always a good beer, but hadn't expected this place to keep my run going. Carpet 8/10, people 7/10, need for food and an early night 10/10, as Sunday would be potentially tougher still.

Sunday 14th September 2025

Edinburgh dawned shite and briney once more, and a revelation as I re-checked trains and realised I COULD get back to York tonight after all.

Okay, so it was over four hrs via Carlisle and it doesn't get me in til after 11pm, but it was better than waking up 4am to commute back and having to do a full day's work, so I change my ticket for a small 'admin' fee.

After a traditionally Scottish breakfast of Irn-Bru and Porridge, I packed up my big overnight rucksack, said goodbye to the family of Glade plug-ins, returned my key to the lock box and headed back out in a Borders-ly (not the place near Birmingham) direction.

A painfully slow bus ride to Innerleithen ensues (no trains between Edinburgh and Galashiels today) not helped by a bunch of Hearts fans who couldn't keep still and are full of involuntary body spasms to save me from ever relaxing.

I walked around 'the block' waiting for noon opening so I could spring my first move. Of course the Edinburgh sun had been replaced by thick grey cloud, and the mountains (hills?) all around had me feeling suddenly isolated. At the Traquair Arms Hotel, Innerleithen (3357 / 5843), I'd been hoping for a pint of Traquair. The ancient brewery is just outside the town, Sister BRAPA (still not a nun) informs me. I'd had a small bottle of their 10% whisky barrel aged stout whilst cleaning my flat during 2020 lockdown (who remembers SADCASE - Si's Ale and Dice Cleaning Adventure Social Exclusion? Whaddya mean no?) and it blimmin' blew my socks off. A Stewart's continental lager was the cask choice (yesterday's magical beer was waning but still good enough) and having been served in the restaurant. the hungover staff encourage me to take it around to the bar, where I only have a weird baby with patchy hair making Teletubby noises for company. I'm forced to nurse it for near on 50 mins because pub two annoyingly doesn't open until 1pm (I'd tried to sneak through a half open door earlier but guv'nor told me 'nae'). When I leave, I'm astonished to see the restaurant packed with folk what lunch - for I'd not heard a peep). Sturdy 17th century auld Scottish walls I guess.

Blog writing wise, that last pub was a good example of a review I could've written in about two sentences but ended up doing a lengthy paragraph without really telling you anything. Six weeks behind on my blogging, I'm never catching up am I?

But the striking Sheffield Wednesday / Stranraer fronted St Ronan's, Innerleithen (3358 / 5844) is worthy of discussion. I'd expected a GBG binning for he 2026 season having read on the CAMRA site that the pub had been flagged as naughty for selling 'fresh' beer Hobgoblin Gold - which sounds nice but is fake cask. But it remains in the Guide, perhaps the rugged guv'nor and his band of richly drawn locals intimidated CAMRA into included it, for it was the gnarliest pub of the weekend. The Loch Lomond pump looks casky enough to me, but would I know the difference? "I got a confession tae make ...." begins our host and I was sure it was going to be 'fresh beer' but nae, I mean no, "you ARE drinking a Loch Lomond beer but it just isn't this one ..... the pump clip got a bit errm scuffed.... it is good stuff though". Well that's no good for my Untappd is it? I don't tell him that, he's kind but ever so slightly scary. "You don't wanna buy any smoked mackerel do you mate" shouts a South African as I retreat to the far window seat. He's the maddest character, an achievement in here. After telling everyone how to hypnotise a chicken, he reveals that black people go green when they get sunburnt. He then reveals how to cook octopus " Firstly, hit its head on a rock to tenderise it!" Not sure even G. Ramsey would go to these lengths. And when he gets started on a man-made meteor heading to earth which no one can stop, I pluck up the courage to return my empty glass to the bar and feign leaving with a confident swagger! The most 'Blind Sooty' pub you could hope to visit (RetiredMartin will know what I mean).

I was half hoping to visit Innerleithen's 'Durty' brewery tap, situated in the town unlike evil Traquair, but it didn't open until 2pm and hadn't made the new GBG, so with buses infrequent on Sunday's, it was off to Peebles which had gained a new tick to add to the one I was going to visit anyway ........

We'll start with the regular entry as it was slightly further from the bus stop back to Edinburgh ......

Looked like a shit show pizza shop on first glance from across the road, until I reached the mosaic floored entrance, pushed the inner door, and am transported back in time to the 80's (which it still is in The Borders) for #PubofTheWeekend at the Bridge Inn (Trust), Peebles (3359 / 5845). First thing I see is a dude with an eye patch, whom Owlie McBurnie 'eyeballs', something Colin would never be brave enough to do, one eye or two. And the gents urinals are pretty special, stick that in yer National Inventory (it is, but just one star which I assume is like a 7/10 'Spoons carpet). With the rattle of dominoes from the far table, a lady humming along to Bangles 'Walk like an Egyptian' and a cold but otherwise high quality Orkney Corncrake, it is fair to say that if I had a top 100 pubs leaderboard like the rest of you, this'd be catapulted straight into the reckoning.

Less ornate was Peebles new (well, return under a new guise) GBG entry ......

A lapsed Wetherspoons, Cross Keys Hotel, Peebles, rather than feeling like it had been set free from Timbo's clutches, more resembles an abandoned ghost train today. 100% sure it would've been busier and brighter under a 'Spoons regime. Having said that, staff & punters are 10/10 for friendliness, the best this weekend. Owlie McBurnie receives much love for the first time, and when I admit to the barmaid I'll be writing a blog, she says "make sure to give my beer keeping and carpet 10/10". "Doesn't work like that" I reply a bit too brutally. And sadly, it was here that this terrific run of top beer quality ended as you can see from my Untappd check in below, helped by the fact that it is called 'Live 'n Kickin'. The carpet? A swimmy 7.5.

"Christ"

So back to Edinburgh by bus it was and I was almost sad that the 2025 entries in Loanhead and Lasswade had been dropped because either would've been decent stop off points for a wee!

In fact, I still thought I might need to get off early and do one of them, but miraculously I hung on so time for a couple more Edinburgh newbies before the 7pm train home to York.

I had my wee in O'Neills without stopping for a drink but the daytime bouncer was a prick because he wouldn't let me leave by the top exit simply because he wanted to be a jobsworth bastard.

But in happier news ......

H.P Mather (Mathers West End), Edinburgh confused me because (a) I'd been to a Mathers in Edinburgh before which I'm certain wasn't this one and (b) the amount of scaffolding outside meant I almost couldn't find an entrance. The Manchester derby is on about 15 screens and I find it bizarre, here in 2025, there is so much more love for City than Utd. Like, it ain't 1997 anymore lads, City aren't the kind, gentle underdogs losing to York, and Utd aren't the 'Mike Riley assist, Andrew Cole 94th min penalty winner' monsters of that era. The interior is classic Edinburgh, shiny bald heids and mirrors, curved benches, healthy mix of young, old, male and female, and knowing Edinburgh, probably all sorts in between #WokeSi2025. I forgot to do a TwXtter post, the Stewart Citra Blonde a vast improvement on the Andi, and if I'm quick I have time for one more pub!

It was peeing down as I went in search of Thomson's Bar, but I'm surprised to find it locked up! SHUT PUB ALERT. The equivalent of losing your first league game in pre-season!

Had I zoomed in on the 2026 GBG photo which Steve Halstead had kindly sent me yesterday from a sunny car in Derby, I'd have seen the description quite clearly states 'closed Sunday and Monday'. So I'll let them off.

But seriously, WHY would you shut all day on a Sunday? This ain't London Business District

Probably a blessing in disguise, time was tight and now I could head back to the station, get two coffees and a mountain of snacks for the train.

The journey felt every bit its 4.5 hrs but I was back home before midnight, finding an exciting shaped package on my doormat ......

And then it was a case of 'let the cross ticking commence!', which as you know, was more brutal than Borders and Edinburgh had led me to believe.

See you Friday for a spooky Month End review, our next proper pub blog will be a brief re-cap of the 14 pubs I achieved during the 'secret ticking embargoed' period.

Keep it pub, Si