Douglas Arms Hotel, Lanark

The entire establishment, including the bar, restaurant and hotel accommodation, is currently "closed until further notice," according to a sign on the door. As For Sale signs are displayed on the walls, this will hopefully be temporary measure.

The extensive, expensive and, to my mind, not really necessary, refurbishment of the bar and restaurant areas a few years ago seems not to have produced the desired effect, as the bar is now closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The Hotel itself is obviously still open if there are residents staying. Otherwise, everything is much the same as before, although the Hotel name has re-appeared on the outer wall. Prices here are much the same as in the village's other remaining pub, the Cross Keys, with Caledonia Best at £3. Tennents and Fosters lagers, Guinness, McEwan's 60 Shilling and Strongbow cider are also on draught.

I visit this pub about twice a year after hillwalking in the Douglas Valley and am always impressed by the fact that the bar staff seem to remember me. It has undergone a major refurbishment recently and the quaint outside bar toilet, which I rather liked, has been incorporated into the main building. The coal fire in the bar has also gone, unfortunately, as has the hotel’s name on the repainted exterior. But enough complaints; this is a great pub in a historic and under-regarded village. And when you order a drink in a pub you haven’t been to for ten months and the person behind the bar says “Were you here last year?” it does tend to endear you to the place.