Abington Hotel, Biggar

There have been no obvious changes to the décor or layout since my last visit here and the Friday afternoon atmosphere remained sedate, with elderly locals having coffee and cakes in the Arbory Lounge, among a handful of drinkers. Disappointingly, there was just one draught heavy/bitter, Boddington’s, on sale and that came in at an expensive £3.50 a pint. Also on draught were Tennents and Stella Artois lager and Blackthorn cider, but, unusually, not Guinness, which was available only in cans. Stowell’s wines are also served on tap. The lounge is pleasant enough, but what this hotel really needs is a more down to earth public bar, as I felt a bit out of place in my hillwalking gear.

This was originally a coaching inn and sits at the junction where the old main road from England once diverged, west to Glasgow and east to Edinburgh. Most traffic now passes by on the M74 motorway behind Abington village and the family run hotel has a rather sedate atmosphere. Residents accommodation apart, the hotel comprises the Arbory Lounge Bar, the more formal Glengonnar Restaurant and a “conservatory,” which is a modern addition at the front of the original red brick building. Meals are also served in the lounge. There is no designated public bar and, on the handful of occasions I’ve visited, including a Friday night, the Arbory has been very quiet and subdued. The impression I got was that it caters more for residents, conferences and wedding parties than for locals, but they didn’t object to me coming in with wet boots and clothing on after hillwalking in the Clyde Valley. Napoleon III of France apparently stayed here in 1839, during a grouse shooting holiday, and the chair he sat on is still on display.