UK's 'hardest to reach village' with a pub so 'perfect' people get stuck there

During the Covid lockdown, the residents of Inverie were impacted more than most.

This small community of approximately 120 residents is wholly reliant on the ferry service for all their food, post, medicine, and freight. When Western Isles Cruises is unable to operate the ferry service to Inverie, which it regularly can't due to bad weather, nothing gets in or out of the village.

That is because Inverie in Scotland has no road access, only a two- to three-day walk over the mountains. So, the ferry service is the villagers' only connection to supplies. During the coronavirus pandemic, the normal 28 weekly sailings were cut down to just three - one on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

"The pier has drop-off bins and a container plus many local residents would be keenly waiting the arrival of their supplies. In normal times they would create a human chain to help unload the boat up the steps and onto the pier but during Covid they couldn't," a blog on the ferry service's website reads.

"So the skipper and crew unloaded the boat whilst the locals looked on at a distance. We didn't need Joe Wicks as the workout was intense, especially at low tide! The crew were never so slim."

The central village on the Knoydart Peninsula, Inverie, sits on the northern side of Loch Nevis. While many villages in that part of the world are remote, Inverie is world-record-breakingly so. It has its own Guinness World Record for the Most Remote Village in the UK to prove it.

It bagged the honour due to the fact it isn't connected to any roads and is only accessible by boat from nearby Mallaig - or via walking, if you're willing to take on the roughly 16-mile hike through very remote terrain.

Despite the fact that it's quite difficult to get there, doing so is well worth it. For two main reasons: the landscape, and the pub.

Landowners John Muir Trust are in the process of rewilding part of Knoydart, to return it to something of its wilder former glory.

"Centuries of burning and over-grazing by sheep and deer have damaged the habitat here. Over the last 30 years, we've planted native tree species and controlled deer numbers to improve biodiversity. Now we're seeing the natural regeneration of birch, oak, hazel, rowan, Scots pine and other tree species," the Trust's website reads.

"As the trees have regenerated on Knoydart, native wildlife has returned. This includes pine marten, roe deer, bats and many types of woodland birds. There are also otters, foxes, water voles, buzzards and different types of eagle. Knoydart is also notable for a wide range of species in its wet heaths, grasslands and snow beds. We expect to see more biodiversity as the woodland continues to expand."

Inverie itself is home to very little, aside from the famous Old Forge - "the Remotest Pub in Mainland Britain", or so its owners claim.

"We are proud to be one of a few community-owned pubs in Scotland. Whisky, real ale, traditional music and amazing service are our passions," the Forge claims online.

There are very few with a bad word to say about the pub, which stands as a cosy beacon of warmth, open almost every day of the year, regardless of the weather.

"Heaven on earth. Had an amazing meal for my hubby's 67th birthday recently. Such a friendly atmosphere and the food was excellent too - fish and chips for me, macaroni cheese for hubby. Freshly cooked and delicious! This visit was sublime in every way, the scenery wasn't bad either," one happy customer wrote on Tripadvisor.

Another added: "No visit to Inverie is complete without a visit to The Old Forge. What the community have done to the place since the buyout is outstanding, it is a credit to all who have worked so hard to revive this fantastic place to its former glory. Always a pleasure to visit and partake in wonderful food and drink, all served by a very enthusiastic group of folk. Hope to be back one day. Keep up the good work."

The Knoydart Snug is run by the pub and has a handful of beds open to those who get stranded in Inverie. With a buzzing pub and breathtaking scenery on your doorstep, you may find yourself hoping that the weather turns.

The easiest way to get to Inverie is to take a train to Mallaig, which itself offers very pleasant views of Scotland, and then hop on a ferry. The train from Glasgow to Mallaig is a direct journey on the West Highland Line, operated by ScotRail. The trip takes approximately 5 hours and 15 minutes, covering about 160 km, with several services running daily.