Argyll Hotel, Ullapool

The Argyll Hotel is a long building with a porch running the length of it, and dormer windows ditto. Argyll Street is one row back from the harbour front, so it's fairly quiet, even by Ullapool standards. The entrance is to the left and the bar is then through a door to the right, with a serving hatch in the main room but the main bar itself in another room through an enlarged doorway to the left. The larger room has tables placed in that not-too-welcoming manner that suggests you should perhaps be ordering some food. The hatch serves as a point for local drinkers to gather for a blether, so you're better off going through to the main bar in the room off if you want serving. There were three hand pumps when I was here, two of which were serving Fullers and one the local An Teallach Sail Mhor. The latter was priced at an eye-watering £3.70 a pint, which I later discovered is pretty much standard for Ullapool. No wonder it's so quiet.

Although part of a hotel, this is very much a pub with it’s own identity. There’s a few tables stretched along the front, and an interior that whilst slightly reminiscent of a hotel drawing room with it’s extensive wood panelling, still seems reasonably “pubby”. Inside it’s a single roomed, T-shape bar, which in spite of the aforementioned panelling is let down by a rough artex ceiling, sliding doors in to the main bar area and tacky fairly lights through the archway to the upright leg of the “T”. There is plenty of bench seating around the perimeter, lots of squashed in tables and a tartan carpet and an exposed stone wall at the far end. Opposite the bar counter are a couple of fruit machines. Presumably as it’s part of a hotel there is a decent food menu, but by the time we arrived the only dishes available were mass produced pizza’s that they do right up until closing time. There seems to be some form of entertainment on most nights during the week, with regular live music as well as quiz and poker nights. Barman seemed a bit grumpy. Beers on tap were Sail Mhor, Edinburgh Gold and Ringwood’s Old Thumper. The solitary cider was Strongbow, unfortunately (although I later spotted a board listing Weston’s Traditional and Old Rosie – this was on the floor next to the fireplace. Whether it was still current I’m not sure as there was no sign of these on the bar, but if so it would have been a good idea to place it somewhere a little more prominent).