A hike to the most remote pub in mainland Britain | Kinloch Hourn to the Old Forge pub, Inverie
Inverie
Located on the Knoydart peninsula in the Scottish Highlands, the Old Forge Pub is officially the most remote pub on mainland Britain.
It’s not connected to the Scottish mainland via road and can be reached via a 25km (15 mile) hike from Kinloch Hourn, a 42km hike from Glenfinnan, or a 9km boat ride from Mallaig.
Myself and nine others tackled the 25km route from Kinloch Hourn on June 5th 2023 and it was one epic day out.
The route passes through some of the country’s most remote but majestical terrain, with the scenery looking like a cross between the Lord of the Rings and Jurassic Park.
To top it all off we got to sink a few cold beers at the Old Forge Pub courtesy of Wiggle and Knoydart Brewery.
Within this blog I will talk through all of the details for the shortest hiking route to Britain’s most remote pub, the Old Forge.
At the end of the article I will talk about how you can get yourself a free bottle of limited edition beer if you complete the hike…
Hike Details
Hike type: One way
Hike distance: 24.6km/ 15 miles
Hike difficulty: Moderate to hard
Elevation gain: 930m
Start point: Kinloch Hourn
Finish Point: The Old Forge, Inverie
The beer garden of the Old Forge
Where does the hike to the Old Forge start?
The hike starts in Kinloch Hourn, a small isolated settlement on the edge of the Knoydart Peninsula in the West Highlands of Scotland.
The Knoydart peninsula is a 55,000-acre peninsula sandwiched between the lochs of Nevis (heaven, in some Gaelic translations) and Loch Hourn (hell).
The peninsula forms part of the so-called Rough Bounds – the "highlands of the Highlands" – and is remote and inaccessible even by local standards
Reaching Kinloch Hourn is an adventure in itself.
It is only accessible via 35 km (22 miles) of winding single-track road, which cut through some of the most rugged and beautiful sections of the Scottish highlands
As well as being narrow, the road surface is quite poor in sections, especially towards the end of Loch Hourn, so take care when making the journey to the start point.
Once you reach Kinloch Hourn there is small free gravel park park located at the end of the road which marks the start of the trail.
Understanding the logistics of the hike
Due to the one way nature of the route alongside the isolated location of the finish point, this hike is a bit of logistical nightmare.
The closest mainland harbour to the Old Forge is the village of Mallaig, which serves as the gateway to the Isle of Sky, and is 6 mile (45 minute) boat ride from Inverie.
From Malliag it is then a 90 mile drive back to Kinloch Hourn which takes around 2.5 hours.
This isn’t a drive you want to be doing after a full day of hiking and a couple of beers in the pub.
The route can be split into 3 sections, and can be completed over one or two days.
Kinloch Hourn to Barrisdale Bothy - 10.6km / 400m of ascent
The climb from Barrisdale Bothy to Mam Barrisdale - 3.2km / 450m of ascent
Mam Barrisdale to the Old Forge in Inverie - 10.6km / 82m ascent
I tackled this hike as part of a PR activation for Wiggle. We had all transport, navigation, and accommodation organised and paid for and it was decided that we would hike it one day.
Although I would advocate hiking the 25km route in one day, it will be quite difficult and costly to organise.
Our journey was as follows
We stayed overnight in Fort William, getting a 90 minute taxi to Kinloch Hourn at 5:30am.
We started the hike at 7:30am, completing the route in around 10 hours
We had an private rib back to Mallaig
We then caught a 60 minute taxi back to Fort William
If you are doing this way, you will have to check taxi availability and cost, alongside the ferry crossings.
If you dont wish to do it the same way we did, there are several alternative options:
Complete it with two cars. Leaving one at the start point in Kinloch Hourn and one either in Mallaig or Fort William
Complete it with one car, driving to the start point at Kinloch Hourn, then getting a ferry to Mallaig and then 2.5 hour taxi back to the start.
Complete it with one car, but hike in and out over two days. This would mean staying a night either in Inverie, or wildcamping on route.
Kinloch Hourn to Barrisdale Bothy
The first section of the route take in some of the most impressive and beautiful scenery I have ever witnessed.
The steep sided mountainous sides drop almost vertically into the water below and resemble the mighty Fjords of Norway of New Zealand.
I can only describe is a cross between Jurassic park and Lord of the Rings.
From the outset the narrow single-track path, which is around 1-2m wide, skirts the edge of the steep sided Loch.
This was once a deer-stalker's path, and, more forebodingly, a coffin road – a route along which corpses were carried to the Kilchoan burial ground in Inverie.
Loch Hourn
The initial path
The path, which is mixture of stone, rock, roots and gravel, is easy underfoot and even easier to follow.
It does get relatively overgrown in sections and involves three short but steep climbs which can be energy sapping.
The first climb is after 3km, the second at 4km , and the final climb is after around 7.5km.
We took this initial section very easy, there was a group of 10 of us and although we were all relatively fit individuals, we wanted to take in and enjoy the scenery.
Rather than write a load of drivel, I will let the images do the talking.
Looking back towards Kinloch hourn
Looking down Loch Hourn towards Ladhar Bheinn.
Barrisdale Bay and Bothy
After around 8.5km you will begin the descent into Barrisdale bay, before branching left and following the shoreline around to the village of Barrisdale.
From Barrisdale Bay you will not only have terrific views down the mouth of Loch Hourn towards the Isle of Skye. but be grated a full view of the mighty Ladhar Bheinn.
At 1,020m, Ladhar Bheinn is the highest mountain on the Knoydart, and one of only three Munro’s on the Peninsula. It is also the most westerly Munro on the Scottish mainland.
Ladhar Bheinn
Located a further 1.8km down the gravel bridleway lies Barrisdale “Bothy”.
I have put bothy quotation marks as it’s not an official bothy run by the MBA.
It’s owned a run by the land owner and costs £5 per night to sleep in.
The bothy sleeps 12 with three wooden bunkbeds (no mattress) spread across two rooms. It also has a kitchen/communal area with a sink.
One benefit of it being under private ownership is that its has electricity, lights, a toilet, and fresh running water.
Directly outside the Bothy is a large grassy area reserved for campers, this again cost £5 to pitch up as you can use the Bothies facilities.
If you haven’t already I would use the bothy as a place to stop and have some lunch (and use the toilet) before beginning the last and biggest climb of the day up to Mam Barrisdale
Barrisdale Bay and Village
The climb up to Mam Barrisdale
To say this is a bit of a slog is an understatement, the route climbs 450m in total over 3km.
The obvious trail is well maintained and crosses a river on three occasions, giving you a good place to not only stop and fill up your water, but turn to take in the magnificent views. .
There’s a couple of false summits on the way up, so keep your head down and dont get your hopes up too early.
Looking back towards Barrisdale
James enjoying the passing fighter jets
Once you reach the top, you should hopefully be greeted with terrific panoramic views in both directions.
You will initially be looking south westwards down the valley. From here you will see Loch an Dubh Lochain and part of the remaining route as it snakes its way down towards Inverie.
Either side of the saddle lie the Munros of Luinne Bheinn (939m) and Ladhar Bheinn (1,020m)
Looking north eastwards back over the climb you will see the mountains of Kintail.
Take your time to not only catch you breath but take in the magnificent views. From here you can almost smell the beer as its (almost) all downhill for a final 10km
The descent to Inverie
The first section of the descent from Mam Barrisdale snakes its way quite steeply down the mountainside.
After around 300m the gradient begins to ease off and descends gently down towards the shores off Loch an Dubh Lochain.
There is a collapsed wooden bridge on route which you will have to climb around, this is very easy and shouldn’t cause any issues.
Once you reach Loch an Dubh you might even come across a large group of highland cows which we found grazing the waters edge.
From the Loch the rocky path will level out and turn into a wide gravel bridleway. The change in elevation and surface allows you to switch off mentally and let your weary legs carry you the final 7.5km down to the shoreline of Inverie.
Inverie
Located on the north side of Loch Nevis, The village of Inverie is the main village on the Knoydart peninsula despite only being home to around 120 residents.
The village isn’t connected to the mainland road network, meaning the only way to reach Inverie is via foot or or by taking the regular 6 mi (10 km) ferry from Mallaig.
It is the villages isolated location which has given the Old Forge a Guinness National Record for the most remote pub within the United Kingdom.
The Old Forge
Once holding legendary pub status and acting as a rite of passage for many thirsty hill walkers, the Charm and status of the Old Forge has waned over the past decade.
The previous owner left it to decline and would even close the gaff for six months in September or October.
When the Old Forge was finally put on sale in February 2021, the community stepped in to buyout the pub.
In total 90 residents have a share in the ownership which is effectively 75% of the local population.
The pub is currently under renovation and after a few delays and setback, should be open at the end of July 2023.
Although I didn’t get a chance to see the inside of the pub, (the Instagram page does share regular updates), I was able sit and enjoy the increble view over Loch Nevis from arguably one of the best beer gardens in the UK.
The reason for the hike (and how to get a free limited edition beer)
Now as I have previously mentioned, this trip was paid for and organised by a PR company on behalf of Wiggle, a European online sports retailer.
The reason for the hike is that Wiggle have teamed up with Knoydart Brewery to launch Trale, a new, limited-edition, 5.1% golden ale that will be available only at The Old Forge.
Once the pub re-opens in mid-July, any hikers who hike to the Old Forge will be rewarded with a free bottle (or two) of Trale.
All you need to do is quote ‘Wiggle’ on arrival.
There are around 450 bottles which will be available on a first come, first served basis until they run out.
Fortunately they had plenty of these delicious ales for us 10 thirsty hikers to get stuck into.
After sinking a fair few beers and tucking whilst reflecting on the epic adventure we were then treated to a delicious meal of fish and chips from the local restaurant.
We then caught a private rib back back to Mallaig, then a 60 minute taxi to Fort William where the journey finally ended.
Final Thoughts
For clarity, Wiggle have not paid me or asked me to write this article, it is being done all off my own accord.
All in all I had one incredible trip with some amazing company.
Being blessed with some extremely rare Scottish sun, with the thermometer reaching a blistering (For Scotland) 25 degrees, we also completely lucked out with the weather conditions
The ground wasn’t at all boggy due to the previous month of warm weather and the slight breeze kept those dreaded midges at bay.
The scenery, which resembled a cross between Jurassic park and Lord of the Rings, was sensational throughout.
It’s hike I would definitely recommend, especially if you want to lay claim to visiting the most remote pub on mainland Britain (and potentially claim a free beer).
I would say try to save it for a good day or two, but that’s wishful thinking.
The main stumbling block for this hike is the logistics.
If I was to do this off my own back, I would probably hike to the Old Forge and back over two or three days staying in Inverie or wildcamping on route.
As it has a toilet and running water, you could use the bothy as a base and also look to tick off a couple of the surrounding munros.
So there we have it, a hike guide to the Old Forge from Kinloch Hourn
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