Latest news with #ClachaigInn
Scotsman
25-06-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Clachaig Inn: Inside the 300-year-old historic pub for sale in heart of Glen Coe
It is a much-loved and historic watering hole sitting in isolation at the heart of Scotland's best-known glen. Now, the Clachaig Inn - a 300-year-old property situated in picturesque Glen Coe - has gone on the market. The historic coaching inn, which has become renowned as a resting spot for both mountaineers and tourists, is being sold alongside Fort William business The Grog & Gruel for £4.5 million. Both of the businesses are being sold as a package, with Christie & Co marketing the properties. The inn is situated around half a mile from the A82, located on the old road to Glencoe village. The surrounding glen has been used as the setting for a string of blockbuster Hollywood films, including Harry Potter and The Prisoner Of Azkaban and James Bond epic Skyfall. Peter and Eileen Daynes bought the Clachaig Inn in 1984. Under their ownership, the much-loved venue has been expanded and refurbished, with the development of self-catering chalets and letting accommodation. The number of ensuite bedrooms have been increased to 23. The couple's sons Guy and Ed took over the running of the business from 1990. Guy and Ed said: 'Clachaig is more than just an inn, it's an institution. There's always been something very special about the place and the experiences that it creates. 'It's been a family home for three generations of the Daynes family, and deciding to sell has been the hardest of decisions to make, but the time has come to find a new custodian. 'Things have come a long way over the years, from operating a ten-week season with just two full-time staff, to the year-round multi-million-pound business that it is now. 'Our drive behind opening The Grog & Gruel was to bring great beer and good food to Fort William, and there's always been a great synergy between the businesses. Running the two businesses side by side made so much sense, adding a further dimension to the business. 'It feels like the right time to step back, and the search begins for someone else with the vision and passion to take the business onto its next chapter.' The inn shares a name with the nearby Clachaig Gully - an cleft in the nearby mountainside that rises more than 3,000 feet. The Clachaig Inn has become renowned for its live music sessions, with events hosted by local musicians on a weekly basis. Peter Daynes is also known for having launched free-of-charge winter mountain safety lectures from the Clachaig. The 40-year anniversary of the sessions was marked during the winter. Brian Sheldon, regional director – hospitality at Christie & Co, said: 'This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire The Clachaig Inn and The Grog & Gruel, both of which have been owned and operated by the same family for over 30 years. 'Whilst trading as two separate businesses, the same ethos has been applied to both. Their locations, in Glencoe and Fort William, allow both businesses to benefit from trade from the many visitors who are attracted to this popular part of Scotland. 'There is great benefit to owning and operating both businesses, which are similar but offer something different: The Grog & Gruel offers more of a 'town' appeal, while Clachaig offers a much more rural outlook and feel, while both are renowned for the same quality of food and hospitality.' 1 . Clachaig Inn from the air An aerial view towards the Clachaig Inn, which has been put on the market, alongside The Grog & Gruel, for £4.5 million | Christie & Co Photo: Christie & Co Photo Sales 2 . Accommodation near the Clachaig Inn. The Clachaig Inn - a 300-year-old former coaching inn situated in picturesque Glen Coe - has gone on the market. | Christie & Co Photo: Christie & Co Photo Sales 3 . The inn's main room Inside the Clachaig Inn is the main pub area, with seating, a wood burner and barrels situated along the front of the main bar. | Christie & Co Photo: Christie & Co Photo Sales 4 . The pool table inside the inn The Clachaig Inn has its own pool table. The pub has become renowned as a resting spot for both mountaineers and tourists. | Christie & Co Photo: Christie & Co Photo Sales
BBC News
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Historic inn at the heart of Scottish mountaineering up for sale
A 300-year-old former coaching inn that has been at the heart of Scottish mountaineering has been put up for inn is thought to have been established in the early 18th Century when a drovers road was built to take sheep to market, not long after the Glen Coe massacre happened nearby. Over the years the Clachaig Inn has hosted Victorian climbing pioneers, seen the birth of the mountain rescue service, and become a hub for live folk music and a destination for Harry Potter fans. The business is being sold by Ed and Guy Daynes, who took over the business from their parents Peter and Eileen Daynes in 1990, six years after they bought the inn. Ed Daynes told BBC Scotland News the family had kept the "Highland hospitality" tradition for hikers and visitors from all walks of life. A 1906 meeting of Scottish Mountaineering Club at the Inn included Sir Hugh Munro, who categorised country's tallest peaks, William Naismith, who made the first recorded ski expedition in Scotland and the pioneering climber Norman resident Hamish MacInnes, a renowned mountaineer and inventor who died in 2020, formed the Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team at a meeting in the bar in 1962. Owners and staff have always been part of the team and they have been holding free winter mountain safety lectures for 40 years. "For mountaineers, it's always been a place to rest up or meet people - it's a great leveller," he said. "It wasn't a wealthy sport, it was an escape for workers in the Glasgow shipyards."We've continued that over the years - it doesn't mater who you are or what you do, everyone is welcome." That welcome was extended in 2003 to a film crew who spent six months on site working on the third film based on JK Rowling's wizarding books. Sets for the Harry Potter and The Prisoner Of Azkaban were created near the bottom of nearby Clachaig location for Hagrid's Hut, 200m up a rough path from the inn, has become a site of pilgrimage for fans of the films, despite no evidence of the film set remaining. "At the time we thought it was just another film," Mr Daynes said. " Even now it's as busy as it's even been, or busier - it's incredible. "People are still coming every day to see a slightly elevated bit of land with a view."Other guests come to the glen for the live trad music in the Boots Bar every Saturday, and can be seen walking in a torchlit parade to the local campsite and hostel down the road at the end of the night. While the inn is now more likely to see visitors arrive in cars or camper vans, it was once a rest stop for people travelling with their sheep from the Highlands to markets in Perth and further Daynes said he had discovered the old coach road was being built in the 1700s, when sheep farming became more established in the years following the 1692 massacre. Almost 40 members of Clan MacDonald of Glencoe were killed after soldiers, led by Capt Robert Campbell of Glen Lyon, were ordered to attack them.A plaque at the inn entrance reads "No Hawkers, no Campbells"."It was put there in the 1960s by a previous owner who was a MacDonald, and we decided we would keep it," Mr Daynes admitted. "It still causes quite a bit of interest."Members of the Campbell clan are not barred from the venue, he added. The Clachaig Inn is being sold along with the Daynes' The Grog & Gruel alehouse in Fort William, by Christie & Co for £4.5m.
Press and Journal
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Press and Journal
Historic Glencoe inn with Harry Potter links on the market
A legendary Highland inn, just yards from where Hagrid's Hut was filmed for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, has been put up for sale – along with a second property – for £4.5 million. The Clachaig Inn in Glencoe and The Grog & Gruel in Fort William are on the market for the first time in over 40 years, as long-time owners the Daynes family step back from the business. Set in the heart of one of Scotland's most iconic glens – the Clachaig is hugely popular with climbers, walkers, and whisky lovers. It's also become a must-visit for Harry Potter fans thanks to its proximity to the hillside where Hagrid's Hut was built in 2003. 'Clachaig is more than just an inn, it's an institution,' say brothers Ed and Guy Daynes, who took over from their parents in 1990. 'It's been our family home for three generations of the Daynes family, and deciding to sell has been the hardest of decisions to make, but the time has come to find a new custodian.' The inn dates back more than 300 years and now includes bar areas, guest rooms, self-catering chalets, staff accommodation and land with planning permission for expansion. It shares its name with Clachaig Gully, a deep cleft in the mountainside which rises over 3000ft from the old coaching road to the summit of Sgurr nam Fiannaidh, Scotland's 187th highest Munro. The £4.5m sale also includes The Grog & Gruel, a popular alehouse and restaurant on Fort William's High Street, just minutes from Ben Nevis. The two businesses are around 20 minutes apart and benefit from year-round trade driven by outdoor tourism and the area's growing film legacy. 'Things have come a long way over the years, from operating a ten-week season with just two full-time staff, to the year-round multi-million-pound business that it is now,' say Ed and Guy. 'Our drive behind opening The Grog & Gruel was to bring great beer and good food to Fort William, and there's always been a great synergy between the businesses. 'Running the two businesses side by side made so much sense, adding a further dimension to the business. 'It feels like the right time to step back, and the search begins for someone else with the vision and passion to take the business onto its next chapter.'
The National
23-06-2025
- Business
- The National
Famous 300-year-old Glencoe inn with Harry Potter links up for sale
The Clachaig Inn, located in the heart of Glencoe, and The Grog & Gruel, based in Fort William, are on the market for the first time in more than 40 years with a price tag of £4.5 million. Popular with mountaineers, hillwalkers and climbers, the pub dates back more than 300 years, offering a rest point for travellers heading to and from the Highlands to markets in Perth and further south. The inn has also become a must-visit site for Harry Potter fans thanks to its proximity to the hillside where Hagrid's Hut was built in 2003. READ MORE: BBC accused of 'spurious' defence over Gaza documentary axe Clachaig has been under the ownership of the same family for more than three decades as Peter and Eileen Daynes bought the inn in 1984 and revamped the building, along with expanding it. The Inn was then passed to Peter and Eileen's sons, Ed and Guy Daynes, in 1990, and the family also opened The Grog & Grue in the centre of Fort William, around 20 miles away. The property, which is part of the sale, is located on the main high street at the foot of Ben Nevis. 'Clachaig is more than just an inn, it's an institution,' said brothers Ed and Guy Daynes in a statement announcing the sale. 'It's been our family home for three generations of the Daynes family, and deciding to sell has been the hardest of decisions to make, but the time has come to find a new custodian.' Clachaig Inn includes bar areas, guest rooms, self-catering chalets, staff accommodation and land with planning permission for expansion. It shares its name with Clachaig Gully, a deep cleft in the mountainside which rises over 3000ft from the old coaching road to the summit of Sgurr nam Fiannaidh, Scotland's 187th highest Munro. (Image: Pete Robertson) 'There's always been something very special about the place and the experiences that it creates,' Ed and Guy said. The added: 'Things have come a long way over the years, from operating a ten-week season with just two full time staff, to the year-round multi-million-pound business that it is now. 'Our drive behind opening The Grog & Gruel was to bring great beer and good food to Fort William, and there's always been a great synergy between the businesses. Running the two businesses side by side made so much sense, adding a further dimension to the business. 'It feels like the right time to step back, and the search begins for someone else with the vision and passion to take the business onto its next chapter.'
Daily Record
25-04-2025
- Daily Record
The Scottish Highlands hike that ends at 'Scotland's cosiest pub'
The scenic walk ends up at an inn that serves incredible food. As many Scots know, Glen Coe is one of the most picturesque beauty spots in Scotland. The glen, which cuts though volcanic rocks in the Highlands, has long been a popular destination amongst hillwalkers. However, given its huge area of around 56.3 kilometre squared, it can be difficult to know where to begin. That is why the Daily Record's latest Walk of the Week is a short and sweet hike in Glen Coe that can be completed in less than two hours. An Torr and Signal Rock is one of only a few shorter walks in Glen Coe. It is an idyllic hike through coniferous plantation to Signal Rock, which is said to be a gathering place for the MacDonalds of Glencoe. Leading you through peaceful woodland within the central part of the glen, the route is just under two miles in length. All in all, it should take between 90 minutes and two hours to complete. The hike begins at a car park on the north side of A82, from where you follow a tarmac path through willow and alder scrub. From here, you will cross a wooden bridge over the River Coe and enter the An Torr woodland. Keep following the path, and eventually you will climb to Signal Rock. You will find an interpretation board here, as well as glimpses of incredible views across the glen through the trees. Once you are done, it is simply a matter of retracing your steps. Before you go home, though, there is one detour that is definitely worth the extra steps. The Clachaig Inn is an award-winning hotel and pub that serves up both refreshing drinks and hearty food. It has even previously been described as one of the "cosiest pubs in Scotland" by Absolute Escapes. Read on for a few photographs that show why Signal Rock is a great hiking destination. More information about the hike can be found on the Wild About Lochaber website. Meanwhile, some of the Daily Record's past Walks of the Week can be found below: Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - sign up to the Scotland Now newsletter here. More On Walking and climbing Glencoe Food Pubs, bars and nightclubs Discover Scotland
