The Caledonian Hotel, Fort Augustus

Real ale is enthusiastically advertised beside the entrance to the car park for this hotel. On entering, the owner/manager was booking in a guest at the reception desk but was happy to say that he would open the bar for me, even after I told him I only wanted a half. The bar is in a smallish room to the right of reception, and the bar counter has removable boards which act as shutters when it is closed. Behind the now removed shutter there was one hand pump (see photo). There are a few modern tables and chairs, and a view through the window across to the Lovat on the other side of the road. The beer retained some condition but had a slight residual taste of butterscotch, not by any means enough to make it unpalatable though. There was no real ale at the Bothy, the Lock Inn or the Richmond when I was in Fort Augustus, and I didn't fancy approaching the Lovat (in my cycling garb) so this was the only beer I had in this tourism honeypot. I suppose the problem for real ale in a place like this is that most of the passing trade is not in the least bit interested (being Japanese or American, for the most part), and most of the locals are inured to drinking Tennents lager and keg 80/-, with the result that brave outposts like this are more likely than not to see their beer start to deteriorate before it can be sold.

Pub is only open for the season. Opens at Easter and closes at the end of October.

Official site of The Caledonian Hotel - www.caledonian-hotel.co.uk

Official site of The Caledonian Hotel - www.caledonian-hotel.co.uk