Last orders for our pubs
Huge number shutting up shop
More than a quarter of pubs in South Ayrshire have closed in the last few years.
The area is among the worst hotspots in Scotland boozers shutting down.
A shocking 35 pubs have stopped serving – down from 90 in 2010 to 65 last year according to the Office for National Statistics.
Ayr venues McArthurs and the Atrium are a sample of the casualties in recent years.
But traditional Ayr boozer Billy Bridges and popular newcomer the Smoking Goat are among the venues keeping nightlife going.
Paula Ferguson, 62, who has pulled pints at Billy Bridges for 30 years blames cheap supermarket tipples for the downfall.
She said: “Everyone is buying cheap drink at Asda. The pub game is finished but there is still room for the likes of us.
“We don’t have Sky, sports channels or quizzes. People come into us to chat and that is it. We have our regulars but are not as busy as we once were. The people who used to come for a drink in the morning have all passed away.
“Another issue is people can’t have a one or two drinks in the evening and drive the next morning because of the strict alcohol limits.”
Smoking Goat owner Jody Walters reopened the old Fouters venue as a basement bar and has taken the town by storm. The atmospheric bar’s following shows there is still plenty of trade for canny operators.
The dad- of- two said: “We create the right atmosphere with a mixture of music and have a good selection of wines on offer. We make special efforts to cover rugby matches and had a piper to make our Hogmanay celebration stand out.”
Other Ayr closures included McCabes in Fullarton Street and Christina’s in Mill Street. But both night spots have recently reopened - giving hopes a revival may be under way.
Girvan and Maybole have also seen dwindling pub trade. But the Prestwick strip is still vibrant with huge pub crawls at the weekend.
Across Scotland only one in every 10 pubs have shut in comparison to the whopping 28 percent lost in South Ayrshire.
Only the Orkney Islands and Eilean Siar have seen more of a decline in boozers. South Ayrshire is the third biggest loser of drinking establishments in the nation.