To a city dweller and place name enthusiast like myself, not many areas of Scotland evoke a true sense of wilderness and majesty quite like 'Knoydart' does.
The remote peninsula, bookended to the north and south by the sea Lochs Nevis and Hourn (the lochs of Heaven and Hell), is home to just 111 residents - half of whom live in Inverie, the main settlement.
I last set foot in Knoydart in early summer while visiting the stunning Long Beach Campsite, which is considered to be one of the top 10 campsites in Scotland.
READ MORE: Most remote pub in mainland Scotland reopens after refurb
On that occasion, not even the constant cloud of midges about my person spoiled a memorable night spent round a fire with a bottle of red I rush-grabbed off the shelf in Mallaig Co-Op while witnessing the sun sink behind Inverie Bay and a glowing Isle of Rum that looked like it was auditioning for the part of Scaramanga's lair.
That visit also coincided with the rare arrival of the Waverley to Inverie Pier, which turned out to be more of a welcome surprise than just “the boat” I was told was due in soon from the chap in the community-owned shop, amid a warning that I might want to purchase a few more - locally-brewed - beers I had spied in the fridge before they were cleaned out.
The 'obligation' then to sample a few local beers came because the village pub, The Old Forge, was still closed for refurbishment, which had been on the cards ever since residents bought the pub in a landmark community-buyout in March last year.
The fact the pub has now reopened prompted a further visit which began with a seven-mile sea crossing from Mallaign aboard the MV Western Isles - a somewhat easier method of arrival than an 18-mile hike over munros.
With the weather looking like it would send my tent skyward quicker than Dorothy’s house by the tornado, I opted for the friendly and cosy surroundings of The Knoydart Foundation Bunkhouse. Unlike my Munro-bagging fellow bunkbed denizens, some of whom who had hiked in, my visit was purely for 'research' purposes.
After rustling up some dinner in the bunkhouse kitchen - I'd been advised the kitchen in the pub was shut being a Bank Holiday Monday - I made my way back to The Old Forge for the evening by the way of landmarks such as a beat up Land Rover displaying a Pioneer DJ sticker on its windshield and the Old Kirk, now a family home.
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As you might expect on a Monday night in Britain’s most remote pub, it had an air of the Marie Celeste about it, although what I lacked for in companions was certainly made up for by characters.
The man stood at the bar in shorts and Crocs who looked like he’d taken a breather from holding up the heavens turned out to be Luke ‘The Highland Oak’ Stoltman, one of the ‘World’s Strongest Brothers', who was in Inverie for a long weekend.
I soon joined a table with a group of gentlemen from Surrey, including one whose father I was told “used to own Knoydart”. The group had hiked in from Glenfinnan and spent the evening recounting the steps of their three-day hike and an eventful night spent in a bothy with some Polish kayakers somewhere en route.
My surprise at seeing Tennent’s Lager on draft in the pub matched that of seeing Buckfast for sale behind the counter in the village shop, although I opted to sample the local tipple in the form of Knodyart Brewery’s Old Forge Revival Pale Ale.
Reopening night - the drinks flowed, great craic and smiles all around. Even the midges wanted to come for a look - millions of them! pic.twitter.com/V0kDpwh9J5
— The Old Forge, Knoydart (@theoldforgecbs) August 6, 2023
From the stone pillar - using stone from the original build in the 1770s - to the stunning whisky display above the bar and beautiful wooden tables and benches, the Old Forge oozes traditional Scottish inn charm.
As a fellow recent visitor noted, it's obvious that a lot of people have put a great deal of work and love into returning the pub to it's former glory as the heart of the community - a reminder of which exists in the multidude of names engraved on the bartop.
And the best part? The spectacular view out across the bay which would rival that of any pub in the land.
With the pub's wee snug open come winter time, I'm already plotting a return visit to The Old Forge as the nights draw further in.
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