A beer garden in the West of Scotland may seem about as much use as a chocolate teapot - but on those rare sunny days like we’ve been experiencing the last few weeks, there’s nothing else quite like it.
Meeting some friends you’ve not seen in ages for a catch over some drinks in the sun, these are some of the best memories you can make - that’s why today we wanted to put together this list of the very best beer gardens you can find in North Lanarkshire.
Outdoor drinking areas used to be a lot rarer back in the day, but one good thing (perhaps the only good thing) that came out of the pandemic was the rush to build some truly spectacular beer gardens when folks were first let out of lockdown.
Of course many of these beer gardens were pretty poor shows - particularly in North Lanarkshire where some pubs idea of a beer garden were some old pub chairs and a wobbly table on a bit of wasteland - but there is some pretty fantastic new outdoor drinking establishments now too.
We put together what we believe to be the very best beer gardens here in North Lanarkshire - it would seem that on a sunny day there’s not really anywhere better to be in the county than in sunny Motherwell.
Take a walk around Strathclyde Park then rest up nice and easy at any one of the beer gardens below - but if you’d prefer to stay local, there’s a mix of good beer gardens from just about every major town in North Lanarkshire.
We’d wager many of these beer gardens are worth travelling to that being said, so make the most of the good weather we’re getting (it won’t stay around long), message an old pal you’ve not seen in a while, and get yourself down to one of these spots.
1. Railway Tavern
The Railway Tavern is Motherwell's best pub with the best beer garden too - every weekend they have acoustic musicians playing out in their huge heated beer garden. There's plenty of space and seating, but make sure to turn up early because the place gets packed. | CAMRA
2. The Waverly
The Waverly have the biggest beer garden in Wishaw as far as we're aware, if you turn up in the afternoon its the perfect sun trap as well. Expect great service and reasonably priced drinks to boot. | Contributed
3. The Yardhouse
You'll be hard pressed to find a better beer garden in Lanarkshire than The Yardhouse in Coatbridge - it rivals even some of the best in Glasgow for us. They've got an outdoor pool table, plenty of seating, and they even offer some tasty scran. Get yourself down there this Summer. | Contributed
4. New Century Bar
The New Century Bar in Motherwell have a cracking new beer garden set up just before Covid-19 with plenty of shade and friendly staff. | Contributed