Time called at Scotland’s most remote hostelry
For decades, the pub offered cheap nips, live music and the warm glow of hospitality to those who found themselves “on the edge of the world”.
Now, time is being called for the last time at The Puff Inn on St Kilda, the most remote pub in the country, which sits 40 miles - and at least two-and-a-half hours in a boat - from its nearest neighbour in the Outer Hebrides.
The pub is due to be demolished after more than 50 years as the MOD, which has missile tracking system on the island, rebuilds its base.
The Puff Inn is primarily used by the MOD on St Kilda, but visiting construction workers and conservationists are also allowed in the bar.
It closed to rising numbers of tourists and day trippers in 2005 amid security concerns.
Customers have recalled the pub’s lively atmosphere with a pool table, quizzes and discos also keeping those entertained in this isolated spot. Names of customers over the years are scribbled on the pub ceiling and flags representing adventurers, scientists and sailors who have made it here hang from the wall.
Julie Hunt, chairwoman of the St Kilda Club, said the closure of The Puff Inn was “sad times”. Ms Hunt said: “It really is the end of an era for St Kilda.
“There is nothing like spending the day digging a hole, or clearing some drainage, and then you can go to the pub and chat and relax with a drink. It is the social hub of the island.”
A spokeswoman for the MOD said: “The Puff Inn is relocating as part of a new accommodation block that will open this autumn. The original 1950s facility that was built by the RAF continues to evolve.”
St Kilda is owned and managed by National Trust for Scotland, with Historic Environment Scotland also supporting its work there. It is producing a 3D digital model of the island so that people can visit it from the comfort of their own home.