Doors re-open at Lochawe pub after five years
A LOCH AWE pub that has lain empty for almost five years re- opened last Friday under a new name.
The Tight Line, which was a focal point of the community for more than half a century, closed its doors in 2012 after falling into decline.
Now called the Ben Cruachan Inn, it also offers accommodation after the owners, Candleriggs Development, extended the building and built five bedrooms.
Tracey Peedle, project manager, said: ‘ We would drive by and see what a state it was in and think how sad it was and how great it would be to bring it back to life. It’s important to us that this is a welcoming place for locals and visitors. It is accessible for all abilities.’
The building was initially converted from a stable block to accommodate staff. From the late 1950s onwards, it was filled with workers who were building Cruachan dam and power station.
Alan Campbell, a Lochawe resident, lived upstairs in the Tight Line as a child in the late 1960s when his mother Mary managed the adjacent cafe. There was a boom in the late seventies and early eighties when Cruachan was being refurbished. And for a long time after that you couldn’t get in on a Saturday at 5pm.
‘Bus-loads would come from Glasgow in the morning and be dropped off at different points around the loch. They would then all make their way back to the Tight Line to be picked up.’
Though Mr Campbell has fond memories of the old Tight Line, he is positive about what the new pub can bring to the village.
‘I think its a good thing Lochawe will have a pub again,’ he added. ‘The fact the Ben Cruachan Inn is starting from scratch is fantastic. It’s a chance to win people over.’