As usual, we broke the journey in Edinburgh, where Gail decided we'd go for a nice lunch rather than our customary leg stretch around Arthur's Seat.
Earlier Googling for dog friendly pubs not too far from Waverley Station had indicated the Cambridge Bar on Young Street might be worth a try.
The sign on the door said 'Dugs Welcome' and so I led the way in.
Oh isn't it brilliant when a place not just lives up to but exceeds one's expectations!
No soon as I'd trotted through the door than the young barman and barmaid came rushing to greet me.
"Oh isn't he gorgeous! What's his name? Bertie? Would Bertie like to sit here? Shall we bring him a bowl of water? Is he allowed treats? Aw, I love his fuzzy face. Just like a teddy bear. Where does he like to be scratched? Oh don't worry about him jumping up, we don't mind at all".
And so it went on. Yummy treats for me and a 'designer burger' for Gail, who said it was fortunate there weren't too many other customers, as they might have felt a bit neglected, not to mention concerned about food hygiene standards. Personally I didn't see that as a problem.
After a most pleasant lunch hour, Gail extracted me from the cuddles of a second barmaid and we headed out again. Just down the street we spotted the Oxford Bar, which fans of Ian Rankin's crime novels will recognise as the favourite haunt of Inspector Rebus.
In my opinion, Rebus has been missing a trick all these years, ignoring the wee gem of a pub just a few paces along the road.
P.S. from Gail: for those of you concerned about Human Granny, Bertie will be posting an update shortly. Meanwhile, rest assured she is doing OK.
