Supporters raise £200,000 to buy Britain's remotest pub

Supporters raise £200,000 to buy Britain’s remotest pub (now they just need to find some regulars prepared to make the 18-mile hike to get there)

    Campaigners are set to buy Britain’s most remote pub – accessible only by an 18-mile hike, boat trip or helicopter – and save it from being turned into housing.

    The Old Forge Community Benefit Society (CBS) is ready to purchase its only pub and secure its future for the locals in the area.

    The group was launched when the Old Forge, at Inverie on the Knoydart peninsula, was put on the market for offers over £425,000 by its Belgian owner in January.

    The Old Forge Inn at Knoydart on the Highlands’ west coast has seen nearby residents scramble to join a community purchase fundraiser to keep mainland Britain’s most remote pub thriving. The group was launched when the Old Forge, at Inverie on the Knoydart peninsula, was put on the market for offers over £425,000 by its Belgian owner in January

    The pub is a focal point in the 17,500-acre Knoydart Estate which was bought by the community in 1999.

    Built in 1880, it is a traditional white-washed, single-story, cottage-style property with a slate roof and features in the Guinness Book of World Records as ‘the most remote pub on mainland Britain’.

    The pub is accessible only by boat from Mallaig, an 18-mile hike from Glenfinnan or a helicopter.

    In January, fears it could be bought and turned into housing sparked an urgent call to save it for residents.

    After smashing their fundraising target of £40,000 within hours, the Old Forge CBS now has everything in place for the acquisition and redevelopment of the pub.

    Group secretary Stephanie Harris said: ‘The building does need quite a lot of work before it can be opened, and the crowdfund campaign was the last piece of the puzzle in our fundraising plan.

    ‘We knew there was going to be a lot of support, but that blew us away, to be honest.

    ‘It means that we can use everything we’ve raised on top of our original target to do more refurbishment works and make it more comfortable and enjoyable for all locals and visitors.’ 

    Pictured: Locals outside The Old Forge, Britain’s most remote mainland pub

    The pub (above) can be reached only by boat or an 18-mile walk over mountains

    The crowdfunding campaign closed on December 18 with 555 people pledging support. A total of £66,446 was raised on top of funds already secured to push the project over the line 

    The crowdfunding campaign closed on December 18 with 555 people pledging support. A total of £66,446 was raised on top of funds already secured to push the project over the line.

    It came as a further cash boost to the £500,000-grant from the Scottish Land Fund and another £219,000 from the UK Government’s Community Ownership Fund.

    The majority of the additional money will be used to redevelop the pub after the purchase is complete – including repairs to the toilets and back of the building.

    The group intends to engrave the names of all those who have pledged money on a new timber bar-top to be made as part of the upgrades.

    Ms Harris added they wanted to make sure people ‘get the chance to put their stamp on it’ as nothing would have been possible without the support from both within and out with the local community.

    Pictured: A map showing the location of The Old Forge Inn. Although it has been declared ‘the most remote pub on mainland Britain’ by the Guinness Book of World Records, it has never lacked popularity among locals and visitors 

    The Old Forge CBS is currently in negotiations with the seller – Jean-Pierre Robinet – and hopes the deal can be sealed by the end of the month and that the pub can open as soon as next year.

    Built as a blacksmith’s forge in 1880, the pub has been the holy grail of the UK outdoors leisure community for decades, with 65 spaces for diners and a cottage attached.

    Although it has been declared ‘the most remote pub on mainland Britain’ by the Guinness Book of World Records, it has never lacked popularity among locals and visitors.

    Under community ownership, the Old Forge would be open year-round and employ 15-20 locals in the tourist season. It will also support other businesses by using local produce.

    Ms Harris added: ‘Now that we are in negotiations with the seller, we are hoping that we’ll be able to push it over the line and get this done as soon as possible.

    ‘We would love to have the news by the end of the year that we’ve got it, and we can start to plan to open it for next season.’

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