Not a night to be wondering around Edinburgh as the rain lashed down turning The Royal Mile into a mini river.
Brollies were up en masse as the heavens opened and I wished I had wellies on my feet.
A welcoming, warm and dry pub was called for and recalled enjoying a small lunchtime refreshment in
The Jolly Judge when I used to cover The General Assembly of The Church of Scotland as a journalist.
The wee pub in James Court off the Lawnmarket was also a well-known watering hole for the legal fraternity as it is close to the Sheriff and High Court
We slalomed past tourists and locals in the narrow close to shelter from the driving rain and walked down the steep stone stairs into the cosy pub housed in a basement with a low, decorative ceiling.
It was packed but we also spotted a table in a corner and ordered drinks.
The busy pub appeared to have undergone a tasteful facelift with cunningly placed mirrors on an end wall giving a feeling of space.
The barmaids were slick and a gin and tonic plus a pint of foaming Top Out ale were served. The beer was a tad cloudy, but still drinkable.
We enjoyed the company of two tourists from Belfast who said it was cheaper to fly to Edinburgh for the weekend than to go to Dublin.
So, a pleasant hour went by and we then ventured back out into the rain. Try The Jolly Judge the next time you are in town. It’s a good pub with real ales, malts and pub grub
Experienced news, business, arts, sport and travel journalist. Food critic and managing editor of a well-established food and travel website. Also a magazine editor of publications with circulations of up to 200,000 and managing director of a long-established PR/marketing company with a string of blue-chip clients in its CV. Former communications lecturer at a Scottish university and social media specialist for a string of successful and busy SMEs.
