by Andrew H Brown

Created on: January 22, 2011   Last Updated: January 23, 2011

Edinburgh is awash with fantastic, traditional Scottish pubs. The list is endless and that's why I won't bother to start it. Instead, I'll just discuss one of these such pubs, The Abbotsford Bar in Rose St.

As I said, Edinburgh is awash with pubs and a good number of them are located on Rose St. where you'll often see the foolhardy attempting a pub crawl along it. I'm afraid I'm past that sort of thing these days, in fact I usually come a cropper after about a dozen or so pubs...

The Abbotsford isn't a hard pub to find. Not at all. Just turn off Princes St at Jenners, then first left and you're there. Or if it's raining, walk through Jenners, pop out the back door into Rose St et voila. In fact, if you're doing the Rose St pub crawl, it's the very first pub on the street...unless you start at the West End, then it's the last. My advice is to start here as the pubs at the other end are not as good and you want to be in a fit state to appreciate this one. Naturally, I am not condoning or promoting binge drinking - it's not smart and it's not clever.

When you walk into the Abbotsford, the first thing that strikes you is the island bar (there are actually a few pubs along Rose St with an island bar, but this is one of the best). The next thing to take in is the decor. It's like stepping into the last century. No, not the 1990's, more like the 1900's. This is Edwardian pub architecture at its finest...but only just. The original Abbotsford Arms was demolished when Jenners were extending their store and they were responsible for commissioning the design of the present pub in 1902. The bar is constructed from Spanish mahogany and with the globe chandeliers hanging from the ornate, Jacobean ceiling it really is an attractive bar.

There's nothing trendy about this place. It reeks of old fashioned bon homie Auld Reekie style. It's almost always busy and although there are tables and chairs, it's a pub that's usually standing room only.

We popped in for a quick pint recently whilst taking a break from the dreaded xmas shopping. To be fair, a dirty old howff halfway down Leith Walk would be a welcome place to take a break from shopping although it'd be a bit of a walk from Princes St.

The pub has a roaring open fire which even during the cold weather in December, still managed to keep the place toasty and warm (well it did if you were near the fire). Naturally, the area around the fire can be a bit crowded and this time was no exception. No matter, they obviously have

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