The UK’s most remote pub only accessible by boat on tiny car-free island

The Puffer Bar on Easdale Island, Scotland, is one of the most remote pubs in the UK. 

The tiny island, off Scotland’s west coast, is completely car-free and can only be reached by a small ferry.  

Easdale Island is the smallest permanently-inhabited island of the Inner Hebrides, with a permanent population of just 60 people. 

Visitors must take a short ferry ride to get there, which carries up to 10 passengers and takes five minutes. 

To call it, people have to press a button at a small shed, with a return ticket costing £2.50.

The ferry runs every day, with late trips available until 11pm on Fridays and Sundays.  

The Puffer Bar is a popular spot for tourists. It serves pub classics, including fish and chips for £15, along with a selection of drinks. 

Many visitors describe it as cosy and welcoming, and a highlight of their trip.

The pub is now owned by two people who turned from visitors to locals.

Rachel Devine, 46 and wife Jhennia Leipert, 44, left behind their busy life in London and  bought the bar from the previous owners who had it for 10 years.

Rachel told The Scotsman: “We have to take everything over on a small boat and then we have to use wheel barrels to go around the island. It is a really kind and friendly community.

“Everybody does know each other quite well. The pub is a real meeting place and everybody feels a bit of ownership of the pub who does come in.

“We are kind of left to ourselves so it is a nice time to chill and for the locals and to use the pub – of course, during the summer it gets crazy busy with tourists.”

And because of the lack of cars, the island is great for those who enjoy walking. A path around the island offers stunning views of the cliffs and sea. 

The walk takes between 20 minutes and an hour, depending on the pace. 

Visitors will also spot colourful wheelbarrows, which residents use to transport goods in this car-free community.  

Easdale is located about 15 miles south of Oban and 115 miles from Glasgow. To reach the island, visitors must first cross Seil Island, which is connected to the mainland by the Clachan Bridge, known as the “Bridge over the Atlantic, before embarking on the ferry.

The Puffer Bar is now closed for the 2024 season and will reopen in spring.