Residents of Knoydart peninsula, which is only accessible by boat or 18 mile hike, awarded grant to buy Old Forge pub.
Mainland Britain’s remotest pub is set to be placed in the hands of its local community after tensions emerged with its Belgian owner. Residents of the Knoydart peninsula on Scotland’s west coast have been awarded a grant of more than £500,000 by the Scottish Land Fund to buy the Old Forge pub, which is accessible only by boat or a roughly 18 mile trek across peat bogs and mountains. You'd certainly need a thirst quenching pint or a warming dram or two after that!
The pub is central to the area’s tourist trade because of its position on the main sailing route to Skye, the Outer Hebrides and the Small Isles. It attracts yachties, as well as hillwalkers and boat-trippers. And people with a particular interest in drinking off the beaten track.
“We are delighted that the Scottish Land Fund has chosen to support our community-ownership bid of the Old Forge. This project is of huge importance to Knoydart and we are now in a strong position to make it a reality,” said Jacqui Wallace and Rhona Miller, the co-chairs of the Old Forge Community Benefit Society.
This was one of several projects to be allocated money by the Scottish Land Fund. The committee’s chair, Cara Gillespie, said: “It is a privilege and a pleasure to be involved in empowering our communities to take control of their destiny through ownership of local land and buildings.” She said the projects would support local economies and strengthen the resilience of their communities.