The Crossed Peels (JD Wetherspoon), Stirling

Stirling’s contribution to the Wetherspoons empire, the Crossed Peels is a somewhat plain example of the chain with a large, fairly characterless single room interior. The servery has been positioned along the right-hand wall and has a traditional looking dark wood counter and bar back. As usual, high tables and padded stools are arranged in a row opposite the bar whilst more conventional tables and chairs have been used to fill the rest of the carpeted room. Low wood panelling covers the majority of the walls whilst the upper sections have been painted in quite bright shades. A few arty prints and the usual ‘Spoons local-info boards help provide a little visual distraction and there was the rare sight of a dartboard over in the rear left corner. The pub’s focal point is a nice centrally positioned fireplace which the lone barmaid continually stoked and replenished throughout my time here. It was certainly popular, with around half of the customers crowded around it on an admittedly very quiet Monday afternoon. Stairs lead up to a nicely appointed first floor seating area with loads more standard tables and chairs and a patio garden area of sorts. There was a dumb waiter on the back wall of the ground floor room that was constantly bleeping, which I found incredibly annoying given that there wasn’t enough ambient noise in the room to drown it out. The beer selection was pretty weak, with two ‘Spoons regulars supplemented by just the two guest ales, whilst two further handpulls went unclipped. I tried something called Tamara Best Bitter, which was a fairly non-descript brew that seemed highly appropriate in this rather bland pub. I don’t think I’ve ever visited a Wetherspoons as quiet as this place – even the arrival of a loud, local ‘character’ failed to spark the place into life and he soon piped down and quietly supped his beer like the rest of us. Stirling’s pub scene isn’t the most exciting and that is perhaps best reflected in its uninspiring Wetherspoons.

I wouldn't normally bother with a Spoons, but we had half an hour to kill before the Settle Inn was due to open, so I thought we might as well. The ale range was pretty limited, with two banks of five hand pumps: Doom Bar and Abbot doubled up, one beer "coming soon" and a couple of guests. We had Loddon Hullabaloo Best Bitter, which was not in very good condition. The designers have done their best with the available space in this glass and steel box of a building, so why is the beer apparantly an afterthought in terms of quality, and brought ridiculous distances from Cornwall, Suffolk and Oxfordshire when there is fantastic beer brewed in Scotland?

Official site of The Crossed Peels (JD Wetherspoon) - www.jdwetherspoon.com

Official site of The Crossed Peels (JD Wetherspoon) - www.jdwetherspoon.com

Unremarkable spoons housed in a dull modern building that doesn't really fit with Stirling's historic streetscape. The semi-modern interior of the lower bar benefits from a ceiling that is a bit higher than most, together with a few information panels and a old-fashioned Scottish water tap on the counter, but that's about it. The upper bar is larger and slightly more traditional, and there is also a patio beer garden beside the back entrance. Modest selection from the two banks of three handpumps on the lower bar, with the 'North Brink' (Elgood's) Indian Summer (£2.49) having the most appealing name (with the hand-written chalk-board 'clips' otherwise anonymising things). Up to 12 real ales available upstairs.