Applecross Inn, Strathcarron

Very much restaurant in service, a wait to be seated place in spite of the pub ambiance although most customers were eating on my latest visit. Perhaps this is a hangover from lockdown or a necessary mode of operation due to its monopoly position and popularity, they stress booking is advised. Three pulls, two in operation on my visit with Applecross beers, some staff have the cask beer menu on the back of their T-shirts. Various stalls opposite the pub sell coffee and bacon butties etc and there are picnic tables for outdoor drinking with those stunning views. Look out for the collection of garden gnomes outside.

Remote pub and hotel on the west coast of Scotland. We arrived via the coastal road and took the more direct route over the mountains back towards relative civilisation. I'd read beforehand that table bookings were necessary, but wrongly assumed that we should be ok for a November visit. All tables in the pub were booked for diners. Walking in from the gales and squally showers, we were offered a table outside instead. After a 1 hour drive from the previous pub, we reluctantly accepted the offer. Table service is still in operation here. So, I made my selection from Applecross Pale Ale, Sanctuary & Inner Sound and we took the only dry table we could find under a tent across the road. As it happened, it was the barmaid/waitress who brought our drinks across the road who bore the brunt of the weather. We walked across the road in relatively benign conditions, before she appeared moments later from a gale and heavy downpour with our drinks. My Inner Sound was on the cold side, which was even less appreciated than normal in the wind and rain. Only 2 of the handpulls had been clipped (the Pale Ale and the Sanctuary) and I was offered the Inner Sound almost as an afterthought. So I assumed from the temperature that it may have been a keg beer. However, reading the previous review, it may still have been cask after all. The location certainly makes the Applecross Inn well worth the visit. But it does seem to be a victim of its own success and appears to be much more geared to dining than drinking these days. Although, that may well change after day trippers like ourselves have disappeared. A pub that I have wanted to visit for many years, which disappointed after finally getting there.