COMMUNITY OWNERSHIP
Glenuig Inn has welcomed travellers for centuries.
Today it is proudly owned by the community, ensuring that this historic Highland inn continues to serve both the village and visitors for generations to come. Read on to discover why we thought community ownership would work in Glenuig, and how we then went about making this a reality.
OUR STORY
Glenuig Inn sits at the head of a bay in one of the remotest parts of Scotland, less than 20 miles as the crow flies from Ardnamurchan Point, the most westerly point of mainland Britain. Fewer than 200 people live within the community boundaries, but it is a remarkably active community.
Over the years the local community have proven they’ve a spirit of making things happen; they’ve funded and built a beautiful village Hall, they’ve established and continue to run a lively community shop, and founded and run the Comann Eachdraidh Muideart (Moidart Historical Society) History House, all run by volunteers. We are proud of these achievements and the determination that made them possible. They reflect the same spirit that led a small band of people to make the community buyout happen.
THE INN
The core structure of the Glenuig Inn dates from before 1746, when government soldiers in pursuit of Bonnie Prince Charlie stormed the place and burned the roof. The building has been in almost continuous use since that time, and now with a good roof!
Over the last two decades the Inn has been sympathetically restored and renovated, incorporating environmentally-sound enhancements, funded partly by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) - these upgrades eventually led to the Inn receiving green awards recognising efforts made to lower its environmental impact.
Connected by road to the mainland only since 1966, the Inn has welcomed travellers for centuries, originally arriving by boat powered by oar or sail, or horseback from across the wild landscapes of Moidart.
Step inside now and the heart of the building remains an ancient stone Highland inn, complete with a warming fire in the colder months. These days, our visitors arrive by land, road and sea: walkers, kayakers, cyclists, sailors, campers and swimmers. However people arrive, they seem to appreciate the chance to stop, rest and soak up the warm welcome.
For many, the Inn is now the beating heart of the village. The view from the beer garden overlooking the Sound of Arisaig is unforgettable, and traditional music sessions regularly fill the bar with life and laughter. The Inn also offers accommodation in six modern en-suite chalets within the grounds, to rest the weary heads of those who come from afar.
WHY AND HOW A COMMUNITY-OWNED INN?
Regular visitors will know how important the Inn is to the village.
Running a business in a remote location is always going to be a challenge. Hospitality businesses across the country have faced rising costs, staff shortages and changing visitor patterns. Despite these challenges, the Glenuig Inn has continued to thrive by staying true to what makes it special - a welcoming Highland inn with roots that run deep.
In late 2023, former owner Rona Yard offered the community the opportunity to take on the Inn’s ownership. Local residents and friends came together on Dec 13th to chat about whether this could feasibly happen, who might help and start to think how this might be done. Even though we were all allergic to committees, one needed to be setup and plans made to establish ourselves formally so that we could liaise externally with advisors; the Glenuig Community Inn Community Benefit Society was officially born in August 2024. We didn’t yet know what we didn’t know, so to begin with there was a lot of learning by doing. Luckily organisations such as the Plunkett Foundation, Community Enterprise and Development Trusts Association Scotland took us under their respective wings, and we were soon pointing in the right direction and on the right track.
This is where the diversity of skills and experiences amongst those who’d volunteered for the committee started to become clear. We found we had skills in project management, hospitality, building design & maintenance, creative thinking, community engagement, business setup and planning, financial management, good governance and more. In fact, the only things we really lacked were professional skills in marketing and website development, and luckily, we found Becky from Ardnamurchan Marketing and Mhairi from Peacock Design!
Over the coming months we planned grant applications, fundraising campaigns, community share offers, business plans, legal agreements, engagement sessions… culminating in taking over the running of the Inn from Rona late February 2025; and then we launched our community share offer the very next week. It was a wild and busy time – and we couldn’t have done it without all the support and encouragement we received from near and far...
But then it was Spring/Summer 2025 and we had a pub to run, rooms to let, a balance sheet to keep buoyant, a fundraising campaign in overdrive and customers to keep happy. Luckily our staff, whether existing or new, were real troopers and helped us get through. Staff literally bent over backwards (with extra hands from welcome volunteers) to make sure we kept running, kept the tables cleared, kept the pumps running, kept the events calendar full, kept the welcome warm, put the lights on in the morning and turned them off when last to leave. Steph & Ryan and Head Chef Tomasz understood exactly what needed to be done.
Customers really bought into what we were trying to do and were so encouraging, whether new or returning, whether regulars or people just passing by. The TripAdvisor and Google reviews were superb, and we knew we must have been doing something right. The applications for community shares were rolling in, the Crowdfunder hoodies were flying off the shelves, the liaisons with Scottish Land Fund and HIE advisers were reassuring, and we eventually met not only our share fundraising target of £300,000 but were successfully awarded £352,000 from the Scottish Land Fund - people actually believed in us, enough to put hard earned money towards making the community inn a reality!
We finally took ownership of the Inn on the 28th October 2025, a new date for the history books.
Capitalising on all that effort and support, community ownership now allows the Inn to continue evolving while protecting the character and traditions that make it unique. The drive to do this has not only been built on Glenuig’s other community enterprises but also shaped by the experience of other successful community-owned pubs, including The Old Forge Community Pub on Knoydart, who gave us really valuable learnings from their experience.
Looking forward, we know the Spring, Summer and Autumn seasons here can be simply gorgeous. On the other hand, winters in the Highlands can feel long and dark, and opportunities to gather socially can be limited. In Glenuig, we believe that people make places thrive and thriving places support people. By keeping the Inn community owned and open through the winter, we ensure it continues to provide employment, training opportunities and wider benefits for the area. The Inn plays an important role during the quieter months, hosting events such as bingo sessions, quiz evenings and music sessions that bring people together and help keep the winter blues at bay. These events help support the Inn year-round while strengthening community life.
Above all, the community wants the Inn to remain the sort of place that locals and visitors never forget. A traditional Highland inn. A friendly place to relax, enjoy good food and drink, listen to music, see friendly faces and take in the spectacular views around Glenuig Bay.
We realised that by making the community ownership of the Inn happen, we would help preserve something special for the long term, not only for local residents, but for every traveller who finds their way here.
A home from home, just as it has been since 1746.
