Britain has some surprisingly remote public houses for a small island – as we reveal here.
From pubs on coastlines and islands not accessible by road to inns surrounded by epic mountains, these are the hostelries that make you work hard for your pint (or three).
So scroll down – and ready the Ordnance Survey maps.
The Old Forge, Inverie, Scotland
The Old Forge: This pub, the most remote on the UK’s mainland, in the tiny village of Inverie, can only be reached by ferry – or after a very long hike
The Old Forge serves obscure malts that, according to the pub’s website, ‘are easier to pronounce after a few have been consumed’
Welcome to mainland Britain’s most remote pub – The Old Forge in the village of Inverie on the Knoydart peninsula.
Reaching it requires determination.
As there are no connecting roads, guests must either hike for a couple of days across 18 miles or so of mountainous terrain from Loch Arkaig, Kinlochhourn, Shiel Bridge or the Cluanie Inn on the A87 – or catch a ferry from Mallaig, which is just under seven miles away across Loch Nevis.
The reward for your efforts? A cosy bar regularly listed as one of the best places to drink in Britain that serves lots of ale, ‘carefully handpicked wines’ and obscure malts that, according to the pub’s website, ‘are easier to pronounce after a few have been consumed’.
The pub started out as a smiddy forge (a blacksmiths), evolved into a social club for locals and eventually transformed into a full-time public house.
Tan Hill Inn, Yorkshire
At 1,732 feet above sea level, Tan Hill Inn in North Yorkshire is Great Britain’s highest pub
The cosy watering hole can be found 4.5 miles from the village of Keld
At 1,732 feet (528m) above sea level, Tan Hill Inn on the Pennine Way in North Yorkshire is Great Britain’s highest pub.
And one of the loneliest, especially in the winter, when visitors are regularly snowed in.
On New Year’s Eve in 2009, revellers were stranded in the 17th-century listed building for three days and in November 2016 a heavy snowfall blocked the surrounding roads, trapping the chart-topping band Scouting For Girls and 200 of their fans after a Children In Need charity gig.
The inn, which was originally a hostelry for miners, lies 4.5 miles north of the village of Keld. And if it looks familiar, it could be because you’ve seen it on Waitrose and Vodafone TV adverts.
Top tip – sometimes it’s possible to see the Northern Lights from the pub.
Ty Coch Inn, Wales
Ty Coch Inn (the red building to the right of the awning) in Porthdinllaen, Wales, is 10 miles from the nearest train station and used to be the home of the local vicar
The views from Ty Coch Inn, on the north coast of the Llyn Peninsular, are mesmerising
This beach bar, voted one of the best in the world, is situated in the remote fishing village of Porthdinllaen, in Gwynedd, on the Llyn Peninsular.
The views across the Irish Sea are, by all accounts, marvellous.
It’s strictly foot-access-only for non-residents so guests can only get there by walking across a golf course from the village of Morfa Nefyn, which is one mile away. The nearest train station is 10 miles away in Pwllheli.
Built in 1823, it was originally the home of the local vicar.
After he moved out, his housekeeper Catherine Ellis opened the building in 1842 as an inn to supply refreshments to the shipbuilding workforce who worked on the beach, according to the pub’s website.
The Puffer – Easdale Island, Scotland
The Puffer Bar and Restaurant on Easdale Island in the Inner Hebrides, which has just 60-odd residents
Easdale is protected from Atlantic weather by the island’s solitary hill
The Puffer Bar and Restaurant is a true local’s local – it serves car-free Easdale Island, the smallest permanently inhabited island of the remote Inner Hebrides. Size? Less than 10 hectares. Population? Sixty.
However, according to its website ‘friends old and new are welcome’.
It’s a short ferry ride from the village of Ellenabeich on the Isle of Seil – but you’ll have to sound a klaxon in the waiting room on the pier to summon it.
Easdale used to be an important slate-quarrying centre. Some of the quarries were 300ft deep. These days, aside from the pub, it has renown for being home to the World Stone Skimming Championships, which takes place every September.
The Pilchard Inn, Burgh Island, Devon
The Pilchard Inn is so remote it gets cut off from the mainland by the sea twice a day
The Pilchard began as a smugglers’ inn in 1336 and is steeped in tales of piracy and looting
It’s possible to walk to the pub – and Burgh Island Hotel behind it – from Bigbury-on-Sea, but have a tidal timetable handy
The Pilchard Inn is so remote it gets cut off from the mainland twice a day by the sea – so if you pay it a visit, make sure you have your tidal timetable handy.
The drinking hole began as a smugglers’ inn in 1336 and is steeped in tales of piracy and looting, according to locals.
Perched on a tiny outcrop on Burgh Island, it’s walkable from the village of Bigbury-on-Sea when the water has receded. And if it hasn’t, there’s a nifty, and unique, ‘sea tractor’ to ferry you, which costs £2 a go.
The island was a favourite haunt of Agatha Christie and she even wrote and based two of her novels there – And Then There Were None and Evil Under the Sun.
Burgh Island Hotel, meanwhile, is also well-worth investigating. Past guests include Ms Christie, Winston Churchill, The Beatles, aviator Amy Johnson and Noel Coward.
Cluanie Inn, Inverness-shire
Cluanie Inn started in 1787 as an isolated staging post and is a mecca for hikers and walkers
The inn has 16 rooms – and the views on all sides are amazing
Visitors might like to drink in the view from one of the picnic tables outside
The all-important bar stocks 100 of the Highland’s finest single malts. Some from distilleries that are no longer in operation
Yes, Cluanie Inn sits right next to an A-road – but it’s an A-road that winds through an epic mountainous Highland wilderness to the Isle of Skye.
The view from all sides is of rugged peaks and dramatic valleys.
Remote box ticked.
The inn, which has 16 rooms, began life in 1787 as an isolated staging post. The all-important bar stocks 100 of the Highland’s finest single malts. Some from distilleries that are no longer in operation.
The Hikers’ Bar at The Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, Lake District
The Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, circled, has welcomed fell walkers and climbers for more than 300 years, according to its website
The Hikers’ Bar, pictured, has attracted several mountaineering stars over the years, including Sir Chris Bonington and Ian Clough
The Hikers’ Bar serves an array of ales and Scottish whiskies. Above is a general view of the hotel
The Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel was originally a farm and an inn, its website explains
This famed bar deep in the Lake District, nestled beneath a rocky peak in the rugged and remote Langdale Valley, has been a favourite stop-off for weary travellers and hikers for over 300 years.
Don’t expect much of a mobile phone signal – unless you climb to 1,000ft – but do expect some of Britain’s most stunning views and opportunities for seriously epic hikes.
The Hikers’ Bar serves an array of ales and Scottish whiskies – and has attracted several mountaineering stars over the years, including Sir John Hunt, Mike Westmacott, Alf Gregory, Tom Bourdillon, Sir Charles Evans, Neil Mather, George Band, Joe Brown, Don Whillans, Ian MacNaught-Davis, Dennis Davis, Sir Chris Bonington and Ian Clough. Prince Charles has also paid the bar a visit.
The hotel has 12 bedrooms – and plenty of antique furniture.
The Ship Inn, Piel Island, Barrow-in-Furness
The best way of reaching Piel Island is by ferry from Roa Island. It is possible to walk there at low tide, but doing so without a guide is not recommended
The landlord of the pub is seen as the king of the island and is crowned in a centuries-old ceremony involving the wearing of a helmet and alcohol being poured over their head
Piel Island is a 50-acre Site of Special Scientific Interest
The Ship Inn is located on quirky Piel Island, a 50-acre Site of Special Scientific Interest half a mile off the southern tip of the Furness Peninsula, near Barrow-in-Furness.
The landlord of the pub, said to be over 300 years old, is recognised as king of the island – so you might be served by royalty.
Each new landlord is crowned in a centuries-old ceremony that involves sitting on an ancient chair while wearing a helmet and alcohol being poured over his or her head.
The helmet and chair are even part of the tenancy agreement.
In the winter The Ship Inn hosts spooky murder mystery weekends and there’s also a 14th-century castle to explore.
The best way of reaching the island is by ferry from Roa Island. It is possible to walk there at low tide, but doing so without a guide is not recommended.
Glenuig Inn, Inverness
Glenuig Inn in the West Highlands is eight miles from the nearest station and is reachable by sea kayak
The pub is a few miles away from the West Highland Line, made famous by the Harry Potter films
The most thrilling way to reach this establishment is to sea-kayak right up to the door.
Glenuig Inn, a dog-friendly pub with rooms, sits on Scotland’s west coast, level with Fort William, in a sheltered bay on the Sound of Arisaig. A truly idyllic spot.
The nearest station is eight miles away at Lochailort, a tiny request stop on the West Highland Line. A trip along this is said by many to be the most scenic railway journey in Britain.
One highlight is trundling over the magnificent 21-arch Glenfinnan Viaduct, made famous by the Harry Potter movies.