The Countryside Inn, Lanark

This was always my least favourite of Douglas’s three pubs, and my latest visit, in the freezing winter of 2010, did nothing to alter my opinion. The lounge was closed and the bar was uncomfortably cold. The barman explained that he didn’t have the heating on because there weren’t enough customers! True enough; myself apart, there was only one other guy there. Other drinkers were in the other pubs, which had heating on. When I asked for a draught Guinness, he poured a pint from a can then topped it up from the tap, but charged the draught price. Hopefully, it’ll return to better form when the weather improves.

The exterior belies the fact that this is quite a large establishment (formerly known as "The Country Club"). It comprises a small, rather basic bar, looking onto the Main Street at the front and an extensive lounge at the rear, which is popular with the village's young people at the weekends. The "Old Town Restaurant" is also part of the Inn and can be reached from the bar.