The Queen Vic, Aberdeen

Traditional pub with real ale, nice stop off for a beer

A straightforward 10-15 minute walk uphill from the centre and quite worthwhile. Looks a little odd outside, being a single-storey building. There are some nice heritage features inside (a pair of beautiful large curved windows, 4/5th high dark wood panelling, unusual square boxed lincrusta ceiling) alongside four ales, situated in the right corner of the bar. A good selection for up here too, with Tim Taylor Landlord, Caledonian Deuchars, Harviestoun Old Engine Oil and Redcastle Red Lady (very good nick) as well as a good selection of bottles. Two big screens were showing English fitba to a decent crowd, so much for Scottish pride eh? Noted that sandwiches were available for £2.50, a fair price. I liked this one and it’s worth trying to fit it into your itinerary. 7.5

This place is a bit of a walk out from the city centre, but it’s well worth the stroll to take in a lovely traditional pub with a grand interior. You enter via a small porch, into a spacious carpeted room with the servery down the right-hand wall. The bar has a nice curved dark wood counter with ship’s figureheads along the front, tall lamps at either end and a hefty looking pillared bar back with a built-in clock at the top. Seating includes a couple of banquette booths along the left-hand wall either side of a lit fireplace which has more of the same figureheads on it as those seen on the bar. There is an ornate mirror above the mantelpiece and a couple of torch-style lamps either side. Some marble topped high tables to the front of the room are complimented with regular tables and chairs through the remainder of the room. A few nice mirrors have been set into the wood panelling and there are plenty of old traditional paintings throughout the room, although this was offset somewhat by the inclusion of two TV screens showing music videos whilst an unrelated, but thankfully far superior soundtrack played over the top. The ceiling has a lincrusta covering which finds its way into the spaces between the large criss-crossing lintels. I counted four ales at the bar – Taylor Landlord, Caledonian Deuchars IPA, Castle Rock Harvest Pale and Woodforde’s Simcoe Pale. The latter was a lovely drop, served to me by a friendly barman who asked what I thought of the beer and then proceeded to recommend it to other punters as they drifted in on a lazy midweek afternoon. This place was nothing like I had expected, offering a well maintained, smart traditional drinking environment which has been modernised enough to attract a good mixed clientele. It is a bit out on a limb, but I was glad to have made the trek out here and would suggest there are a few central pubs that might best be skipped to ensure time to fit this into a crawl.

The food is good, the beds are ok some are good some not so good

Recently given an outside paint job changing it from the original green to a new reddish colour (see latest picture) makes it look more attractive. Good locals pub selling Tim Taylors Landlord on a regular basis. Good if you like watching sport on the big screen. If not, you can sit at one of the windows overlooking Rosemaount Place and spot the wallies still using their mobiles in their cars as they stop at the ttraffic lights.