Lochcarron Hotel, Strathcarron

Basic hotel bar with decent loch views. There’s a long corridor with windows leading from the main right hand entrance to the bar which doubles as the hotel reception. There’s a separate bar entrance at the left hand end. The counter on the left is the drinks section and houses two horseshoes, a single pull and a wobbly Guinness fount. The pull was out of use on my visit but the reversed clip was for nearby Strathcarron brewery. A mix of UK and Scots beers on the horseshoes, and there's a line of 30 odd malts on display on the gallery above the counter. Scottish flags of both types on the ceiling beams, some whisky drums and some odd posters as decor, a big white screen for an overhead projector takes up one end. Furniture is banquettes at sewing machine and wooden tables. A bit of an earthly place in the main bar with a faggy scent although that was probably just a group of heavy smoker punters. No dog called Hamish, although it’s a dog friendly place and the barman or owner was from the Mediterranean.

With the Rockvilla Hotel now closed as a bar, the Lochcarron Hotel is the only remaining pub/bar in the village of Lochcarron. As you can probably guess, it overlooks Loch Carron! We arrived to find just the landlord and one of his dogs (Hamish). You walk into a dining area, with tables overlooking the loch. At the far end and in the rear of the establishment is the bar itself. It is a little dark and has a TV in one corner. Horse racing was on during our visit. The opposite end of the bar serves as the hotel reception desk. The landlord is originally from Kent, whilst Hamish sounded much more local and certainly enjoyed a good fuss. Two ales were on - Strathcarron Golden Cow & Red Cow. Having already tried the Red Cow, I gave the Golden Cow a try. As I expected, I preferred the red one. A small group did arrive, seemingly to eat, just as we were leaving. Otherwise, this was a quiet and pleasant visit.

Official site of Lochcarron Hotel - www.lochcarronhotel.com

Official site of Lochcarron Hotel - www.lochcarronhotel.com