How local does a local have to be?

A few days after you read this, I am set to move across this blustery, malt-scented city, from one side to the other. The distance isn’t that great, as the crow flies – Edinburgh being such a compact capital – so hopefully it shouldn’t take too long to trundle our possessions from old A to new B. As ever with moving, there are pros and cons involved. One of the major positives, for me, is that I will be less than a quarter of a mile from one of the best pubs in the city. Great beer, all of 350yds away (a four-minute walk, according to Google Maps). In summary, I will shortly have a new local.

As a concept, ‘the local’ is enshrined in British culture (and beyond, of course, as Norm knew only too well). A place where you can feel as comfortable as possible, second only to sitting slumped on your sofa at home. Traditionally, the local was just that – the pub at the end of the road or round the corner. The drinking destination that was the easiest to scuttle to, and weave your way home from. These days, though, has that concept changed slightly? Does ‘the local’ no longer have to be the pub most local to you? Is it more a state of mind, based on your ‘favourite’ boozer?

My old man, for instance, very much has a local – the City Arms, in Manchester. Thing is, he lives over thirty miles away, and has to make special trips there once a month or so. In fact, he goes there more regularly than any of the pubs where he lives. To him, clearly, the ‘where it is versus how it makes me feel’ co-efficient is firmly stacked towards the latter end of the scale. I suppose how far you are willing to go to get to your local depends on the level of comfort and familiarity you’re seeking. Maybe I’m just supremely lucky that the nearest watering hole to me (as of next week) happens to meet all of my criteria.

As it is, most of us are willing to indulge in a bit of a journey to get to our favoured pub of choice – possibly bypassing others that are nearer in the process. How far are you willing to go to find your local – is distance no object? Or is it simply the closest non-leaky building that possesses an alcohol licence? And what’s the sliding scale of acceptability – will you walk an extra ten minutes for three more cask taps? Fifteen for artisan nuts? Maybe, like the Queen’s birthday, the best idea is to have two – a ‘Geographic local’ (for necessary, mid-week, taking-the-edge-off drinking) and a ‘State of Mind local’ (for relaxed, familiar, trouble-free pintage and cheerful banter)…