Glens Bar, Cumnock

The name refers to the nickname of the local junior football club, Glenafton Athletic (know as “The Glens”), whose home ground is directly across the road. A mirror on the wall of the L-shaped bar room commemorates their Scottish Junior Cup win in 1993. As in the village’s other pub, I was an object of curiosity as a stranger, as New Cumnock presumably doesn’t get very many visitors. I wasn’t, however, nearly so far travelled as the American woman who had been in the pub the previous week. She was named Afton and had come there specifically to see the Afton Water, the river which runs through the village. I doubt that she would have been overly impressed by the rather dilapidated condition of Glens, with seating badly in need of re-upholstering. It was friendly and welcoming, however, and a pleasant place to spend an hour before heading for the nearby railway station. It was also cheap by current standards, with Tennent’s lager at only £2.70 a pint. Carlsberg and San Miguel lagers, Guinness, McEwan’s 60 Shilling, Belhaven Best and Strongbow cider are also on draught.