6th June 2007
Clachaig's fairly well acquainted with the Hollywood film crews being in the area, especially after having been just out of shot in the Harry Potter films recently. However, this week we went one step further and moved into the frame as filming took place for a major motion picture. Staring Patrick Dempsey (he of "Grey's Anatomy") 'Made of Honor' is due for release next year. It seems our starring role might be minimal but look out for us when your munching your popcorn at the cinema. Read more about 'Made of Honor' on this web link.

4th June 2007
Another beer festival draws to a close. 35 ales came and went during Mayfest with a usual line up of about 15 at any one time, as can be seen from our blackboard. It wouldn't be a beer festival without showcasing something new and this time around it was the ales from the brand new Glenfinnan Brewery. The Glenfinnan Standard Ale (4.3%) went down a treat with most of our customers, although there was a more mixed reaction to the Glenfinnan Gold Ale (4.0%). If you missed your chance to try these new ales keep an eye on our fonts during the summer months for another showing.

Despite some poor weather the week was extremely busy with our accommodation running 99.9% full (one room didn't turn up!) However, with the Hog Roast in the Boots Bar and the fundraising pub quiz, plus lots of live music, there was plenty to keep the spirits high. And when the sun did come out to play, the mountain views were stunning. Here's a view looking east over the Blackwater Reservoir from the top of the Devil's Staircase - a fairly straight forward walk for all abilities between Glencoe and Kinlochleven.

12th May 2007
One of the biggest events in the Lochaber sporting calendar comes to an end today. The Scottish Six Day Trials attracts riders from around the world for 6 long days of gruelling motorbike action. Originally a reliability test, the Scottish trial has been running since 1909. Find out more, including this years results on the web site.

Watching the bikes is a great spectator sport. We caught the Pre '65s in and around Kinlochleven (see photo) last weekend - that's bikes built before 1965. Looks like they'd do well to last the 2 days the way they treat them, never mind 40+ years!

Also managed to see some of the final stage in and around Glen Nevis today, and the 'rocky brae', right in the centre of Fort William. Great fun to watch and the kids loved it!

Look forward to seeing the bikes return again next May.

11th May 2007
Back in January we reported on the Blog that work was likely to commence on the Clachaig junction bridge within the next month or so.

Latest news is that the work is now due to start possibly late August / early September, and is now likely to take 12 months to complete.

The engineers have been looking at how to get the bailey bridge into position - a plan that originally blocked the Clachaig road for upwards of a week. You can well imagine that that went down non too well with us. A revised plan is coming together which may see the junction closed overnight for a couple of nights only, with access maintained throughout the day.

At all times apart from this, the Clachaig road will be open, and with 3 way traffic lights operating there will always be good access to the A82. More as we get it.

2nd May 2007
Hard day at the office? Yeah, tedious isn't it, especially when the unbroken sunshine keeps flooding in through the office windows. Well, life's not that different in the glen - except that when we're allowed out to play, we can really go and play!

Here's a couple of pics of a few of local bike club West Highland Wheelers on our trip over the Devil's Staircase last night. Fortunately the heat of the day had eased off a bit by the time we started the climb. As you can see, another stunning evening, and quite simply a pleasure to be out. Didn't set out till 7pm and yet were back at Clachaig Inn for last food orders at 9pm for a hearty bowl full of Vension Casserole. Mmmm!

A couple of punctures (guaranteed on this route!) meant there was plenty of time to take in the views. The round trip is an absolute classic bike ride, probably due to the 550m descent from the top to Kinlochleven. For more bike routes in the area see our Biking pages.

And if you find yourself in this neck of the woods with a bike on a Wedneday night, come and join the Wheelers for their weekly ride. The club meets year round at varying locations for a ride and usually a bit of food and beer afterwards.

24th April 2007
2 best pub awards in the same week!

Firstly, Les Routiers has named Clachaig as the winner of Scotland's Real Ale Pub of the Year for 2007. The award comes from the the definitive collection of independent food, drink and hospitality establishments and, as such, we're over the moon to yet again have our efforts recognised. Clachaig won the UK award back in 2004 and we lost out on the Scottish title to our Fort William pub, The Grog & Gruel in 2005.

Speaking of which, The Grog & Gruel has been declared the regional winner of in the Highlands & Western Isles Campaign for Real Ale Pub of the Year Competition (and pleased as we are, we do point out that, due to a quirk of geographical boundary, Clachaig is not in the CAMRA Highland area!)

Again, its fantastic to know that our commitment to showcasing the best cask conditioned ales from across the Highlands and Islands continues to be recognised and appreciated.

Thanks guys!

13th April 2007
So why is it that the only spot of poor weather we've had in the last 3 weeks arrived on Bank Holiday Monday? Anyway, a busy Easter has now been and gone, as have the crowds, and we're back to warm sunshine and Glencoe at its best.

And we've got just the thing for a refreshing tipple after a day out on the hills in the lovely warm weather. Yes, you guessed it, a botanically brewed gourmet soda. Lightly spiced with ginger and lemon juice and weighing in at under 1% ABV we reckon that those William's Bros. have scored again with their creative brewing.

3rd April 2007
New menu launches at Clachaig today!

Following on from our exclusive preview evening (see below) we've now launched the new Clachaig menus - both the main menu served throughout the day until 9pm and the breakfast menu.

We've already had plenty of feedback - enough to know that all the painstaking effort to provide the right balance of the right dishes has been well worth the effort. However, with Easter trading literally just round the corner we know there's plenty more to come and we're all rather excited by it.

Read all about the menu, including the wonderful range of coffees now available, and get a 'taster' of what's on it on our Food page.

2nd April 2007
The second phase of our winter project to completely refurbish the on site staff accommodation drew to a close today. The so called "Staff Bothy" has been completely overhauled, with the biggest change being the addition of a brand new kitchen and lounge area.

The Bothy provides bed spaces for 6 staff in 5 bedrooms. The new kitchen, complete with electric oven, gas hob, microwave, fridges and freezers plus washing machine really provide a bit of a wow factor for staff more familiar with the dark dingey common room of old.

5 star accommodation for 5 star staff?!

23rd March 2007
If pictures of bridges is your bag then we've got a treat for you today! After nearly 2 years of work, the Lairig Eilde bridge on the A82 through the gorge in Glencoe is now open. As you drive through, chances are you'll not really spot the difference apart, perhaps from some new lay-by arrangements.

So that's the good news. The bad news is that driving from Glencoe to Inverness last week I had the pleasure of 9 sets of traffic lights! Moral of this tail? Only drive as far north as Glencoe! More on the Clachaig bridge later in the season.

23rd March 2007
Meanwhile, on the same night as our menu preview, TV presenter Nick Crane and the Tern TV crew were staying at Clachaig. Nick is no stranger to the place, having been here some 20 years ago. Here he is alongside his signed photo of "Bikes up Kilimanjaro" in the Clachaig Lounge which he left for us all those years ago.

A journalist and geographer, Nick is now probably best known through his association with the hit series "Coast". Expect to see him back on your screens later this year with a new series on BBC2 entitled "Great British Journeys". Also expect to see some stunning shots of Glencoe in glorious sunshine as they're out filming today and its a cracker!

22nd March 2007
This evening we hosted a menu preview evening for a gathering of approximately 50 business folk from the local area. After months of painstaking preparation, we've finally got our menus for 2007 off to the printers and hope to have it running from some time next week.

The emphasis on this review has very much been on improving the range and quality of our menus, using as many locally sourced products as practical, whilst keeping it very much in the Clachaig style.

The proof of the pudding was very much in the eating last night (!) as we put ourselves on show. However, the feedback has been fantastic and we look forward to rolling out the menus as soon as the printers deliver them!