The Outdoors Pub of the Year 2016

Fantastic news! Clachaig has been awarded Outdoors Pub of the Year 2016. Whoop, whoop!

Here at Clachaig Central we drew straws for the trip down to the annual awards presentation in Kendal and Assistant Clachaig Manager, William, won. The Clachaig van was given a bit of a wash and a polish in preparation for a rare excursion out of the glen, and William put on his best shorts while the rest us continued to slave away, sorry, sat waiting patiently, for the news from Kendal.

 

Whoop, whoop!

The awards recognise the great and the good across a whole range of categories relevant to life in the Great Outdoors, with everything from cafes, gear and clothing, books, campaigns and personalities represented.

And in our category we won! We have to say that we're over the moon with the result. It's been a long, hard season. As a family we've been here since May 1984, so we've seen quite a few now. You'd think that it would get easier, or at least that's always the hope. But, no. 2016 was busier than ever before, making it bigger, longer, harder and more intense. There were a few sighs of relief when Octoberfest finally closed and for the first time since March a calm descended about the place.

A shiny van & William's best shorts

So, to win after all that is tremendous. And what makes it even better is that the award is the product of a public vote. It's you, our customers, who voted in masses, to make us no. 1. A big thank you to everyone who ticked the box for us. It's particularly satisfying for everyone here at Clachaig to know that our collective efforts are appreciated.

And there must also be a huge thank you to the full team at Clachaig. Though Clachaig is still family owned and run by Ed and Guy, it's the staff; the chefs, the house team, the managers, who are the public face, and the ones who keep on delivering even when under pressure. It is they who are Clachaig.

 

William's big smiles

Hopefully we're not being too conceited when we say that awards have been a part of life at Clachaig over the years. It's nice to be able to say that we've won a few, not least of which was the Outdoors Pub, Restaurant or Cafe of the Year 2013. (Nice to back after a short break!) But we don't go looking for them. Invariably the awards are a recognition of our achievements, of what we offer, by others. That's what makes them so damn rewarding when they come along.

A slightly younger Guy & Ed with Camra's Best Pub in Scotland Award 1994

As we prepare for 2017 and our 33rd year here at Clachaig, rest assured that we'll keep on doing what we do best, and we look forward to welcoming all our customers, old and new once again.

Reasons to be cheerful - Febfest 2015

Skiing in 'the' Buff

February is one of our favourite months here at Clachaig. The winter helps, of course, sub-zero temperatures bring hardy axe wielding climbers, fresh snow brings boarders & skiers and our winter beer festival brings just about everyone else. This year it would be fair to say that we experienced a mixture of weather conditions from crisp blue skies to wet and windy days with temperatures high enough to dine alfresco, albeit in your thermals.

Thanks for the award CAMRA

For those in the know Febfest is so much more than just a beer festival, although we never miss an opportunity to fill our cellar with award winning beers.

Pie and a pint anyone?

During the four week celebrations we host regular live music sessions along with Quiz nights, 

Whisky/Gin/Vodka Tasting Masterclasses, Weekly Prize Raffles and Winter Mountain Safety Lectures. Add some tasty accommodation deals, excellent grub and the largest range of cask and craft ales this side of the Pennines to the mix and it’s easy to see why this time of the year is so popular.

go on, have another dram

The weekly raffle

Whisky & good company. What else do you need?

This year our Winter Mountain Safety Lecture Series celebrated it’s 30th anniversary and with numbers topping the 100 mark on two of the four nights it looks like it could roll on for another 30 years. By our reckoning over 350 folk attended the series.

Eyes down for a full house

Airbag demo

Mammut shop @ Clachaig

Once again we were joined by Nevisport who set up a Mammut stall in our residents lounge to allow for leisurely browsing during the lecture break. Many thanks to all who attended and in particular the lecturers Mike Pescod, David ‘Heavy’ Whalley, Richard Bentley and Davy Gunn who educated, enlightened and entertained those present. 

The Big Winter Raffle is now very much a part of our Febfest celebrations here at Clachaig and this year the swag fund was the largest to date with some 40 individual prizes

Mammut's contribution to our prize fund

We are very grateful to Mammut who continue to sponsor the Clachaig Winter Mountain Safety Lecture series and also dig deep into their pockets to provide some great prizes.

Huge thanks also to the many local businesses and accommodation providers that have also chipped in and made it all possible.

Thank you, in no particular order, to:

Mammut

Trail Magazine

Glencoe Mountain Resort

Letterfinlay Foods (Fort William)

Glencoe Independent Hostel

Gordon and Macphail (whisky merchants)

Kinlochlaich Garden Centre

Clachaig Inn

Vertical Descents

Claymore Filling Station

NTS Glencoe

Thistly Cross Cider

Lewis Hamilton (The Band)

Edencoille B and B

Ice Factor Kinlochleven

Craiglinnhe House

Nevisport (Fort William)

Sea Xplorer

Tomatin Distillery

Cairngorm Brewery

Perception Chocolates

Sinclair Brewery
Loch Ness Brewery

Wallaces Express
Glencoe Photography

So, how much did we raise?

Total raised this year £2,335.78

And where does the money go?  

The money is split 50/50 between Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team and the Transceiver Park at Glencoe Mountain.

 

Always ready when called upon

Training Park Glencoe Mountain

But we couldn’t raise all this money without our guests and customers who year after year part with the contents of their wallets at every turn, so your generosity is noted, and very gratefully accepted. 

Thank you for your support. 

Want to see some happy prize winners?

You'll never get lost with this Transceiver (or that shirt)

Ready for the trip

another winner roped in

No more camping for me, I'm upgrading

Fashion icon

nothing beats your neighbour winning a bottle of whisky

some great tunes from Lewis Hamilton

should have gone to specsavers

Rucksack stuffed with goodies - thanks Trail Magazine

Well that's about it for another year folks. Big shout out and high fives all round to our hard working staff, who spent the whole of February selling raffle tickets to anything that moved. Not least of whom is our Alfie who sold countless tickets and is crowned this year’s King of the Raffle who was joined by his Queen, Erin, on the final night.

drummers eye view

remind me how to lower this mic?

And finally, a very special thank you to our mistress of ceremonies, Shauna. 

A job well done. 

See you again next year.