Fancy a pint at Britain's remotest pub? You'll have to embark on an 18-mile hike over a mountain or drop in by helicopter

How far would you travel for a pint? You'll certainly have worked up a thirst by the time you've reached Britain’s most remote pub.

A trip to The Old Forge in Knoydart require s an 18-mile hike over a mountain pass or a seven-mile ferry crossing in a converted fishing boat, which only departs twice a day.



Alternatively, you could drop in by helicopter, seaplane, yacht or canoe. But there are no roads in or out of the peninsula in Lochaber, north-west Scotland so drink-driving isn’t a problem.

Isolated: The Old Forge is surrounded by mountains and dense forest on the shores of Loch Nevis

The Old Forge is listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the remotest pub on mainland Britain and is surrounded by mountains and dense forest on the shores of the Loch Nevis.



Knoydart is home to just 111 residents who organised a community buy-out of the estate 15 years ago.



Taste of the good life: Owner Jean-Pierre Robinet uses only fresh local produce

The peninsula’s newest resident Jean-Pierre Robinet, 43, bought the pub two years ago.



The Belgian used to be a high flyer in the hospitality industry, running some of the world's most exclusive hotels.



He visited Knoydart for two weeks every autumn for 16 years for the deer stalking - and for a week every spring - and called the area his ‘sanctuary.’



‘I enjoyed my job but it was very stressful and I'd been doing it for many years,’ he says.



'I was living in the city, with noise, pollution and overcrowding. I became tired of it. I felt for a long time I needed change.’

The catalyst for change came when Robinet’s father was hit by a devastating stroke and he realised that he could suffer the same fate if he didn't change his stressful lifestyle.

'One night on my stalking holiday I was here talking with the previous owners, Ian and Jackie Robertson.

'I got to know them well over all the years. They told me they wanted to sell and said it'd be ideal for me.

'I decided almost there and then they were right.'

The cosy pub is famous for its seafood, which all comes from within a 15-mile radius of the pub - they even have their own scallop diver.

Local character: The pub can be crowded with tourists all summer but Robinet says his locals come first

If offers free moorings for guests who dine there, along with complimentary wi-fi up until 6pm, but there is no mobile signal in the area.



The pub's walls are dotted with musical instruments including fiddles, guitars, whistles and spoons for the ‘musically challenged’, and the venue is often the scene of impromptu ceilidhs.



Robinet says: ‘It's great to see our locals interact with the tourists. Parties just happen. It's marvellous.’



Shore thing: The pub is accessible via a seven-mile ferry crossing in a converted fishing boat

The tourist trade in Knoydart is booming, with the area attracting climbers and walkers.



Others come simply because the area is so remote. In recent times, a biennial music festival has proved popular, its 800 tickets selling out in minutes.

Guests can stay in the Knoydart House just five minutes walk from the pub, which sleeps up to 10 people in five bedrooms and boasts a large out door hot tub and stunning sea loch views.



The holiday home also features large vaulted ceilings, an open drystone fireplace, antique furnishings and floor-to-ceiling glass windows.

Two's company: Knoydart Hide boasts its own outdoor hot tub, along with an infra red sauna

Alternatively, visitors can book a stay in Knoydart Hide, a new luxury hideaway for a maximum of two people that also boasts its own outdoor hot tub, along with an infra red sauna.



Those who prefer to get closer to nature can stay on the newly-developed campsite at long beach, about 15 minutes walk from the village, where campers pay only £4 per tent.

Picture perfect: The area offers walkers stunning views of the Scottish Highlands

Thanks to the campsite, the pub can be crowded with tourists all summer but Robinet says his locals come first: ' They are my VIPs. This is their place and it always will be.



'This is not about money, it's a way of life. I'm part of this community.

