MUSSELBURGH is pretty much the eastern limit of the Great Edinburgh Pub Challenge, despite the fact it isn’t actually in Edinburgh at all. Oh well.
The Volunteer Arms (or Staggs, as it is locally known) (North High St, Musselburgh, 15/26/30/44) was where we commenced our tour. Not to be mistaken with the pub of the same name towards the foot of Leith Walk, it is a boozer typical of those found around Edinburgh and the Lothians; front room with a bar crowded by resident drinkers, and a room through the back where either the football or the racing is being shown. You can imagine that a few years back it would have been incredibly smoky round those parts. It was the football in Staggs, Chelsea v Derby County to be precise. We arrived just after the sun went down, Nick having a pint of Jaipur IPA (“Rocket fuel, man”, he claimed the next day, blaming it for his hangover. Aye, you’re right, it had nothing to do with the other 12 or so pints you had over the course of the night). Myself and Nick Rennie (well, when he eventually arrived) stuck to less exotic pints.
Across the road is
The Hayweight (North High St, Musselburgh, 15/26/30/44) which is decidedly like the
Rainbow in Corstorphine, big empty floor with a karaoke machine and disco lights perched precariously against the wall. Thankfully we were long gone before anyone decided it would be a good idea to sing.
Next stop was the
Ravelston House Hotel (North High St, Musselburgh, 15/26/30/44) which is, as you may have guessed, nowhere near Ravelston. Seemed to have the same pretences though, plush carpets, over 65s decidedly well dressed and all that jazz.
The Ship Inn (North High St, Musselburgh, 15/26/30/44) was the last – and probably my favourite - of the pubs we visited in East Lothian. Tell you what though – don’t sit next to the door in the middle of winter, it’s bloody freezing for about 5 minutes after anyone nips out for a fag! However, we did run into a character known locally as “Willie the porn king.” Sadly we didn’t really hear how he came to have this name.
The next day we were back in more mundane territory after visiting the Thomas Telford exhibition at the Portrait Gallery (if you didn’t go, you missed out).
Lord Bodo’s (York Place, 4/8/10/11/12/15/16/17/26/44/45) has possibly the greatest name of all the pubs we’ve found so far. Not as spectacular inside but still pretty neat – it’s a basement bar and it’s pretty small with just a couple of booths round the outside and two or three tables in the middle. We were informed of the Scots draw for the World Cup in 2010, finished our pints and left.
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT: “Can’t make it out tonight lads, I was that pished last night I’d have drunk a cup of diarrhoea” – Ian Davidson. Nice.
CUMULATIVE PUB COUNT: 42
