Ghillies Rest @ Duke of Gordon Hotel, Kingussie

A huge establishment in proportion to the small town in which it is located, this is obviously very popular with coach parties of mainly elderly people. This lends the whole place a rather sedate air, with most customers occupying the restaurant or the ballroom. The public bar, “Ghillies Rest,” was almost empty on both the Friday and Saturday nights I called in, with the handful of other customers, judging by their conversations, being residents rather than locals. There were two real ales on hand pumps, Trade Winds (costing £3.50 a pint) and White Lady. Also on tap were Belhaven Best (£3.20 a pint), Guinness, Carlsberg lager, Belhaven Garron lager (which I‘d never heard of before) and Strongbow cider. There is also an impressive malt whisky menu and a routine wine list. Moderately expensive bar meals are served from noon until 8.30 p.m. daily. “Jamming Sessions,” advertised for Thursday nights, might provide a more lively atmosphere than when I visited, but even the bar seemed mainly geared towards residents. “Ghillies Bar,” located downstairs beside the toilets, sounded more promising, but it was closed and in darkness when I passed it by.