Busta House Hotel, Busta, Shetland

Recommended by our tour guide after hearing about my pub and beer hobby, this is a huge, aged whitewashed building, set quite dramatically against the slope of the hill overlooking the water and parts date from 1588. Access at the rear to a warren of rooms, best of which is the long bar to the right of the entrance; this has a polished wood floor, rugs, comfy chairs, grandfather clock and portraits of the long-deceased lairds and ladies. There looked to be a beer garden of sorts overlooking the water, but the semi-hurricane conditions precluded me from exploring too closely. Lerwick IPA on keg and three Valhalla bottles in the fridge, which in Shetland is a fair haul. It’s well-worth trying to get here if you visit the Islands, lots of atmosphere.