Talk about a captive market.
The Old Forge on the Knoydart peninsula in Scotland enjoys complete dominance of the local pub trade – because it’s the sole boozer in the village of Inverie on the shore of Loch Nevis. And there are no roads in or out.
The pub is the most remote in mainland Britain, with Inverie – population not much more than 100 – accessible only by a 40km (24-mile) hike over notoriously wild mountainous terrain or a six-mile journey by ferry from Mallaig.
But even though it’s the only public-house option in Inverie, it doesn’t take business for granted.
I discovered on a recent visit that it has great service, offers superb comfort food – and generally relishes being at the heart of the unique community.
MailOnline Travel Editor Ted Thornhill visited The Old Forge (above) on Scotland’s Knoydart peninsula, the most remote pub in mainland Britain
The Old Forge is located in the village of Inverie, accessible only by a 40km (24-mile) hike over notoriously wild mountainous terrain or a six-mile journey by ferry from Mallaig. During his visit Ted snapped the picture above, which shows the view from the pub across Loch Nevis
For starters, it puts on a very impressive Halloween party.
The day before we donned our zombie make-up and made our grand entrance, we gathered – my partner, six-year-old daughter and an assortment of French friends and their daughters – at London Euston on Friday, October 27, for stage one of our journey to Knoydart… the Caledonian Sleeper.
We journeyed on this along the epic West Highland Line, which meanders through breathtaking glens, passes over Rannoch Moor and includes Britain’s highest and most remote railway station, Corrour, 408 metres (1,338ft) above sea level.
The sleeper terminates in Fort William, ‘the outdoor capital of the UK’.
After a two-hour pause there, we jumped on a Sprinter train and travelled along the final stretch of the West Highland Line to Mallaig, past the highest staircase lock in Scotland, over the Glenfinnan Viaduct (aka the ‘Harry Potter viaduct’), and along the shores of jaw-dropping Loch Eilt, which makes an appearance in two Harry Potter movies – the Prisoner of Azkaban and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.
The next segment was a 40-minute voyage on a Western Isles Cruises ferry from Mallaig to Inverie.
Our base was a beguiling self-catered four-bedroom holiday home called Creag Eiridh. It’s like a grand abode from an Agatha Christie novel – and even has some celebrity status. Rowan Atkinson stayed there in 2009.
There are no roads in or out of Inverie, above, which has a population of just over 100
The Old Forge is on the ‘main drag’ in Inverie, which you can walk in about five minutes
We got wind that The Old Forge was throwing a children’s Halloween party. The youngsters’ excitement for it was infectious and before we knew it, we were all applying make-up to give us the appearance of a zombie posse.
The atmosphere inside the community-owned pub was terrific – toy bats and spiders hung from the ceiling and everyone, from toddlers to adults, had made a big effort to dress for the occasion, with pirates, becaped superheroes and a dad dressed as Rambo all revelling in the Halloween celebration.
What’s more, the pub had rustled up a free feast – a buffet of Scotch eggs, pasties, burgers and more, all laid out on a table for guests to help themselves to.
We left as the children’s party fizzled out and the pub filled up with more and more adults – including one who’d seemingly placed a plastic buoy over his head.
The entire peninsula seemed to be in attendance.
It was much quieter when we arrived for an evening meal a couple of days later, when we had a chance to properly drink in the surroundings.
During Ted’s visit, the pub was decorated for Halloween celebrations
During its Halloween party, the pub laid on a free Halloween feast for customers (above)
The Old Forge is on the ‘main drag’ in Inverie, which you can walk in about five minutes.
The pub’s website explains that the building started its life in the 1770s as a cottage, before evolving into a smiddy’s forge, then a workers’ social club and finally a pub.
The pub went up for sale in 2021, with the locals deciding to launch a community-ownership bid, which was ultimately successful.
The keys were handed to the community on March 28, 2022.
This year it was given a full refurb, emerging as a venue with an inviting appearance that belies its remote location.
It’s one huge room, so no nooks or crannies to nestle in – but there are lashings of wood and huge tables to sit at that encourage communal eating and drinking.
We commandeered one such lengthy table for our evening meal, discovering that the pub offers a solid range of comforting pub crowd-pleasers, from fish and chips to chicken burgers and from lasagne to mac ‘n’ cheese’.
The pub’s website explains that the building started its life in the 1770s as a cottage, before evolving into a smiddy’s forge, then a workers’ social club and finally a pub
The pub went up for sale in 2021, with the locals deciding to launch a community-ownership bid, which was ultimately successful
Ted praised The Old Forge’s fish and chips (left) and its cullen skink (right)
The bar, which is made from wood embossed with the names of people who helped build and finance The Old Forge
There are also some Scottish classics – cullen skink, haggis bites and venison stew made from locally shot wild deer.
I opted for the fish and chips, which was fresh and tasty.
We had table service, too – which was efficient and friendly.
Even though it’s the only public-house option in Inverie (view from the village above), The Old Forge doesn’t take business for granted
The inviting Knoydart Tea Room is a great place to warm up with hot coffee, Ted discovered
Drinks have to be ordered at the bar, which is made from wood embossed with the names of people who helped build and finance the pub.
My tipple of choice was a local ale from the Knoydart Brewery called Seven Men, which refers to the heralded ‘Seven Men of Knoydart’, war veterans who in 1948 tenaciously staked a parcel of peninsula land to settle on.
The landowner, Nazi sympathiser Lord Brocket, obtained a court order to have them removed. But while the Seven Men of Knoydart lost this battle, their land raid became the inspiration for a community Knoydart Foundation buyout of 17,200 acres of peninsular land in 1999.
This stunning picture was posted to the Knoydart Brewery Instagram page. It shows Loch Bhraomisaig in the foreground, which feeds the turbine for the Knoydart power supply, with Inverie on the shoreline beyond. Some of its white houses are just visible. In the far distance – the Isle of Skye
Above is Inverie’s ‘main drag’. When this picture was taken it was, for Inverie, a hive of activity
Wonderfully, one of the ‘Seven’ lived long enough to see the handover.
Today, it’s an impressive operation. As well as the welcoming pub, there’s a hydro-electric system, Wi-Fi, a school with a handful of children, and a bunkhouse with accommodation for 26 people and an electric mountain bike hire scheme.
We spent the rest of the week exploring the awe-inspiring surrounds using the trusty Land Rover that came with the house, electric bikes from the bunkhouse – and leg power.
The nearest village to Inverie is Glenfinnan, a two-day walk away
Ted’s rental in Inverie came with a Land Rover. This picture was taken on a drive to a (very) remote beach
Ted and his group completed a hike to the summit (above) of dramatic 2,611ft- (796m) tall mountain Sgurr Coire Choinnichean. In the distance are the isles of Skye (to the right), Rum (middle) and Eigg (to the left)
Sgurr Coire Choinnichean rises imperiously behind Inverie, which is hidden by the ridgeline in this photo that Ted took
The Inverie village shop, which sells a fairly wide range of food, including venison from the local deer herds
The best way of reaching Mallaig (above) is along the breathtakingly scenic railway line from Fort William
We explored stunning – completely empty – beaches; pootled along gloriously lonely roads in the Land Rover that led nowhere; thoroughly enjoyed a guided tour of the local ancient forest with a Knoydart ranger; sheltered from the elements with hot coffee in the inviting Knoydart Tea Room, and completed a hike to the summit of dramatic 2,611ft- (796m) tall mountain Sgurr Coire Choinnichean, which rises imperiously behind Inverie.
At the top, clear weather afforded us jaw-dropping views to the Isle of Skye, beyond to the Outer Hebrides and to the majestically lumpy prehistoric Knoydart wilderness.
A land that time forgot – but thankfully not the pub trade. Not quite.
TRAVEL FACTS
For more on Knoydart visit www.visitknoydart.co.uk.
For more on the Knoydart Bunkhouse – which has accommodation and mountain bike hire – visit knoydart.org/knoydart-bunkhouse.
Rates per week at Creag Eiridh start from around £1,275. The house has three twin bedrooms and one double family room sleeping up to four. There are three bathrooms.
Visit www.creageiridh.co.uk.
HQ for Ted and his companions in Inverie is a holiday home called Creag Eiridh, pictured above
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