The Hawes Inn is a country pub in South Queensferry, which is in Scotland between Edinburgh and Fife. The building is a 17th century coaching inn with a date stone 1638. Although the pub has been modernised the vintage furniture and wooden beams give it plenty of character. There are connections with the author Robert Louis Stevenson who once stayed at the Inn. He started writing the novel “Kidnapped” while he was staying in Room 13 and there is a passage in the book mentioning the Inn. The building is also mentioned in SIr Walter Scott’s “Antiquary”. It lies almost under the Forth Rail Bridge, which has UNESCO World Heritage status. The famous Scottish bridge has a cantilever design and was the world’s first major structure when it was opened in 1890 and represented a key milestone in railway engineering.
We travelled from Edinburgh to Dalmeny station via train then took a “short cut” via a footpath to the Hawes Inn. That was a big mistake! The path turned out to be very rough with muddy puddles and steep steps without handrails. Gingerly taking one step at a time we eventually reached firmer footing by the Inn. (On our return walk to the station we sensibly walked via the road!)
Once inside we were directed to our table, which had a great view of the bridge. The menu was varied with the average price of the main dish being about £20. The food tasted great and was well served by friendly staff.They also served real ales and a good range of other drinks. Basically, it was well worth the journey to visit this charming pub with a unique view.
