Mambo's, Aviemore

Despite being located in a Scottish Highland village, this place has more of the atmosphere of a city centre nightclub than a country pub. This was immediately apparent from the presence of door stewards beside the pavement seating at the entrance. As soon as I'd found a seat inside, a very drunk young man almost fell on top of me after stumbling down a set of steps from the upper part of the split level bar. Fortunately, I managed to save my £3.90 pint of Guinness. Other draught beers are similarly on the expensive side, with Punk IPA topping the bill at £4.60 a pint. Tennent's and Heineken lagers, Caledonia Best and Strongbow cider are also on tap. The pub is clearly aiming to attract the more youthful end of the market, with big screen TVs showing loud music videos, which at least helped to drown out the rowdy hen night which occupied one corner. It showed no sign of closing when I left just after midnight. Although it's very untypical for a Highland pub, Mambo's no doubt gets a lot of business from the outdoor sports enthusiasts who descend on Aviemore throughout the year, but it's best not to stay too late if you're planning to climb a mountain in the morning.