Knoydart, part 1/3
An Irishman, a Finn, and an American walk into Britain’s most remote bar. No, that actually happened. My old roommate from our hall in St. Andrews signed up for yet another adventure (or misadventure) into the wilds of Scotland. This time: the Knoydart peninsula, home of the wee town of Inverie, itself the home of the Old Forge, Britain’s remotest pub—plus some prime hillwalking (“hiking” in American). At the last minute, the Irishman, to be married at the end of the week, decided, “Sure, why not? I’ll come too.” So we three set out.
On the west coast of Scotland, not far from the Isle of Skye, Knoydart can be accessed in one of two ways: by boat or by a two- to three-day hike from the nearest sign of civilization. For all practical purposes, it is an island. My original thought was to tackle the long hike from the end of the last road into the wilderness, far to the east. However, having recently completed a weeklong bicycle ride across Georgia in the summer heat, and having been warned by the Finn of the recent bout of wicked Scottish weather, I figured we’d opt for the boat. It would prove to be a wise choice.
Before I arrived, the fellows had thrown the Irishman his bachelor party (“stag do” in Scottish). This was “stag do number two,” and the excitement did not disappoint. Our running joke was that everything was being experienced by the Irishman for the last time as a single man—as in, “This is the last time you’ll have a drink with us in a pub in Knoydart on a Monday night as a single man,” or… well, you get the idea.
After a very wet open-air boat ride from the port of Mallaig, we arrived and settled in at the town of Inverie, a smattering of stark white buildings huddled at the edge of a sea loch. The Old Forge was wonderful and well worth the trip (more on this later). But our destiny lay beyond: up Ladhar Bhenn (pronounced ‘Lar Ven,’ quite naturally—don’t get me started on Scottish Gaelic), which is Knoydart’s highest Munro (a Scottish mountain over 3,000 feet high). In the morning, weather permitting, we would make a go for it.