This ancient Scottish tavern was a raucous, cross-generational hangout where everyone – young and old, locals and tourists – sang themselves hoarse to Fairytale of New York
This is said to be one of Scotland’s most haunted pubs, but for me it’s haunted with happy memories, the ghosts of hazy nights out, the spectre of my younger self, and of course the cantankerous clergyman who stalks its walls from beyond the grave.
Sitting at the foot of Stirling’s old town, cosily sandwiched between larger buildings, Nicky-Tams has been a tavern of some sort since 1718. Based on its cobbled floors, mullioned windows and the ancient crest above its door, you might expect it to be a kitschy, Ye-Olde-Scottish-themed pub trading off its historic significance and obvious Instagrammability. But that’s never been the vibe. During my time as a regular in the late 00s, there was something alternative about it (or “moshery”, as its detractors would put it): they often played heavy metal, punk and emo; the walls were adorned with vintage records, and many of the bar staff had tattoos and piercings. The atmosphere was far closer to a dive bar than a folksy tourist trap. But Stirling is too small a city for a venue to cater exclusively to any one type of person, and the clientele is still, as it was then, a merry blend of students, tourists and locals of all ages who often end up chatting to one another before the night is over.
