Welcome tae Shetland

Now that your here, you'll nae doubt be gagging for a beer :) Lerwick isn't a very big place but you'll find a few good pubs, so let's hae a wee cyber pub crawl round some of them.

Ratings

= Fantastic

= Quite Good

= It'll do

= Bit of a dive

= Total dump

If you arrived on the ferry then you'll probably have noticed The Shetland Hotel, just across the road from the ferry terminal. This hotel has a bar called the Ferry Inn. It's got a couple of pool tables and a dart board, but as it's a wee bit out of town it's not somewhere I frequent all that often. That said it's a great place for a pint before the boat leaves, just dinna miss the boat mind!

So onto the Douglas Arms next, known locally as the Marlex, come out of the Ferry Inn turn right and follow the main road for about 5 minutes and you can't miss it. This is quite a popular place, the public bar, to your left as you go in, has a pool table, dartboard and a jukebox. They also have Sky Sports and show most games on a large screen projector. The lounge bar is to your right as you come in the front door, more comfortable seating and lots of pictures of old Lerwick on the walls.
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The next place is Da Wheel Bar, again turn right at the door and about 500 yards away just past the bus station you'll find it. Another quite basic but busy pub which can have a really good atmosphere when it's packed, upstairs is a bar with a small dance floor and downstairs is a bar with a pool table, this place will show the football if asked.

Rating:-

Time to move on it's Mooneys Wake next, turn right out of the Wheel Bar and go up the steep wee lane (Mill Lane) just beside the pub, Mooneys is just to the left as you get to the top of the lane. As you may have gathered from the name Mooneys is an Irish theme pub, with all the rustic charm of a country pub in Donegal, NOT! The downstairs bar is tiny, it does have a pool table and a dartboard, but the decor is just so 'plastic paddy'. The upstairs bar is the same but bigger and proved to be such a flop that they hardly ever open it! It's used by the local Celtic supporters club and shows all the Celtic games on a big screen projector, worth a visit if that's what floats yer boat.
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Think we'll head to the Thule Bar next, now this is a place worth seeing:) Go down the hill from Mooneys and take the lower road at the wee roundabout, head right for about 500 yards and there you are. The Thule, being on the waterfront, is handy for the many fishermen who visit Lerwick and is usually quite busy. This place used to be yer basic fishermans boozer until someone decided to redecorate, and what a job they made of it. Think polished aluminium checker plate, light purple and green paint, it really is a sight to behold. The upstairs lounge is much the same, you must visit this place!

Rating:-

Now that you've got over the Thule lets head to Da Noost now, turn right out the door and right again, then left at MacKays and Da Noost is about 50 yards along Commercial Street. the lounge is upstairs and the public bar is downstairs, the public bar is small but it has a pool table the lounge bar is bigger and has a karaoke machine which can be fun after a few pints.
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After you've been chucked out for crap singing head to Captain Flints, to your left about 50 yards away and it's left again at the Market Cross. Go up the stairs and there you are, Flints is a very popular place and does get quite busy. They have a big screen on all the time with chart music playing, but when there's football on they show that. Flints also serves food all day, nothing all that fancy mind you just yer basic pub grub, but it's quite good, there's also a couple of pool tables in the top bar. Mind and no get too pissed and fall down the steep stairs on the way out, more than a few have done that :)

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Getting near the end now, time to head for The Lounge. Go out of Flints, turn right and The Lounge is up the wee lane (Mountholy Lane) just ahead of you, when you reach the pub the public bar is in front of you and the lounge bar is the door to your right. The public bar is a basic boozer with a couple of dartboards, no pool table though but there's cards and dominoes if you want. Upstairs in the lounge, yes I know The Lounge Bars lounge bar :) If you're into traditional music then this is the place to go as they have sessions where local musicians turn up and play, and it's usually very good.
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That's the most popular places, there's bars in the Grand Hotel, the Queens hotel, there's a few clubs i.e. The Masonic Club just up from the Lounge, the British Legion opposite the Douglas Arms, plus a few others so you'll no be stuck for a bevvy.

There's also a new place opened, called Baroc, just along from Da Wheel Bar, it's an upmarket pub/club/restaurant which is proving to be very popular.