Clachnaharry Inn, Inverness

I fully agree with Will's comment below that standards have slipped here since the landlord of that time moved down to the Castle Tavern. I gather there may have been another change of landlord since then, but I have not seen an improvement. This 18th Century roadside inn has wonderful views from its patio across the Beuly Firth, and it is architecturally very quaint. Previous CAMRA awards were well deserved, but in the last 5 or six years it has gone downhill. The food is pretty awful and is overpriced. The tv was really annoying and completely wrecked the atmosphere. The staff were not welcoming. The beer was good,however - 4 ales on, I had the Kelburn Red which was really quite good. I will continue to come here out of optimism as it was excellent once and could be again.

Clachnaharry Inn official site - www.clachnaharryinn.co.uk

Four times voted Camra Highland Pub of the Year in the early noughties, and on my previous visits four and seven years ago I can remember being reasonably impressed. Standards seem to have slipped a little, and on my latest visit the Orkney Red MacGregor was quite clearly not pouring right, but the staff just shrugged and carried on. Of the other four hand pumps, two were serving beers from Inveralmond, one had Kelburn Red Smeddy (which was OK but nothing special), and the final pump was serving...Greene King St Edmonds Ale! The pub itself is very basic, just a converted cottage or croft house with exposed stone walls, lino on the floor and standard pub tables and chairs. The quality of the ale, both in terms of the choice offered and the condition in which it is served, is the making or breaking of a pub like this. I'm not saying stay away: far from it. It's just not the "must visit" that it used to be.