Newhaven - the Scottish one!

Although I’ve been to Edinburgh several times and have even been to Leith - often described as the Scottish capital’s port, I’d never been to Newhaven, let alone heard of it. I’m obviously familiar with the south coast town of the same name, but until the other day the Scottish one remained a complete mystery. However, I am pleased to report that I found the small Scottish, seaside port of Newhaven a pleasant and very welcome surprise. 

Stepping ashore from the tender, after a calm and quite scenic crossing by ship’s tender (lifeboat), from Queen Anne, proved to be a real delight, on a day that was bright, sunny and reasonably warm. After our small craft had tied up at the picturesque harbour, and I’d stepped ashore, my first task was to get my bearings, and then find a pub.

Fortunately, representatives from the town’s tourist board were on hand, dishing out maps, and dispensing friendly and useful advice. I’d already carried out a spot of research, via What Pub, and the two pubs I’d picked, seem to agree with what the "Visit Newhaven" ladies were saying. They also helped get me into Mrs PBT’s good books, by informing me of a large ASDA supermarket, not far from the harbour. It actually ended up making her jealous, as she would liked to have visited the store itself - we’re supposed to be on holiday btw, not shopping for yet more clothes!

Supermarkets aside, and with What Pub acting as my guide, I headed away from the harbour area and turned right along the shoreline. On the way I passed the Harbour Inn, the first of the potential pubs on my hit list. Advertising itself as a Belhaven house, it is of course a Greene King pub, and to their credit, the East Anglian giant has kept this heritage brewery, based in nearby Dunbar open. Deciding to keep the Harbour in reserve for later, I continued further along the coast to the attractive looking, and stone-built Starbank Inn.

The Starbank had that immediate “wow” factor, that screams out this is going to be a good pub, a feeling that was enhanced by the friendly greeting I received from the landlady. There was a fine selection of cask ales on offer, although a couple of them were shown as “coming soon” a la Wetherspoons. 

I opted for Lost in Mosaic, from Loch Lomond Brewery, and despite the beer being advertised as a “New World IPA”, thankfully, there were no signs of cloudy murk in sight. Instead, I was presented with an excellent, and easy drinking mid-
strength IPA that was a pleasure to drink, and a welcome return to cask after the bottled ales on the ship.

With no hint of any pressure, the landlady asked if I was looking for a bite to eat, and after applying in the affirmative, I was presented with the pub’s menu. A chicken and bacon sandwich, from the “lite bites” selection, fitted the bill, with a choice of white bread, or ciabatta. I went for the former, and when my substantial “snack” arrived it was well presented. I know, that in the past, I have moaned about the garnish that often accompanies such sandwiches, but in this case, it wasn’t just nicely presented, but was tasty as well – something about the dressing?

Although I wasn’t the first person to walk through the pub door that morning, I was pretty close to being that individual, so I noticed with interest how this experienced licensee used the same sales technique on everyone who came through the doors. By and large, it worked, especially with the group of Americans that arrived a short while later. Looking and listening to them, like me, they’d obviously arrived off the same cruise ship as me. It was worth staying for another beer, and this time I opted for an old favourite that I’d not seen in ages. Deuchars IPA is, of course, no longer brewed at the historic Caledonian Brewery on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Corporate owners, Heineken put paid to that, but whichever brewery is the new custodian of this beer, had obviously done a good job.

All in all, the Starbank turned out to be an excellent pub, and I was delighted with this choice. I conveyed my gratitude to the landlady as I left. Knowing I was only in town for a short while, she recommended I try the Old Chain Pier, an attractive looking, single storey structure, overlooking the beach. It was just a short stroll away, on the opposite side of the road, and with mine hostesses’ recommendation, ringing in my ears, it would have been rude not to give the place a try. 

It's a bit hard to put a handle on the Old Chain Pier, although the licensee of the Starbank had mentioned it was quite food oriented. This feature was amplified by the “Please Wait Here to be Seated” notice, just inside the door. I explained to the barman that I just wanted a drink, which was fine, and I was instructed to find myself a table. 

There was a reasonable selection of beers, so feeling adventurous I opted for Swan Blonde from Bowness Bay Brewing, before settling down to enjoy the view. It was interesting to note the large party of tourists, who I think were from Japan. I ought to be able to recognise people from that part of the world by now, seeing as the company I work for is Japanese owned, but it’s easy to make a mistake, and at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter. What I did twig was they were students, and judging by the tags on their baggage, they had recently in Scotland.

The bar was pleasant enough, but it wasn’t a place I wanted to linger too long at (unlike the Starbank, for example), so after finishing my drink, I wandered back along the promenade in the direction of the harbour. Pleased to see there wasn’t much of a queue, I decided I ought to nip along to ASDA and pick up a few goodies for Mrs PBT’s.  It was an ASDA and a half, with a branch of Greggs attached, but the tissues, soap and snacks I’d been instructed to buy were sufficient, as far as I was concerned. The transfer back to the ship was uneventful, with minimal queuing to board the tender.  

Eileen was jealous that she had missed the enormous ASDA, but the crisps and Kit Kats went down well. As for Newhaven, well it was a very nice place, and well worth the tram ride along from Edinburgh, if you are ever in the area. There are also some photos, at long last, and the sharp-eyed amongst you will probably have noticed that I've been steadily re-editing the articles I posted, whilst on the cruise.