Scotland's "best pubs for a winter walk" have been crowned. The inns and taverns were praised for their wide selection of whiskies and their mouthwatering food options.
On Monday, November 17, The Good Food Guide published a roundup of the top pubs that pair well with some of Britain's best walks. The two Scottish pubs to be included on the list are the Applecross Inn in Wester Ross and The Clachan Inn in Dumfries and Galloway.
The Applecross Inn is nestled along Shore Street on the rural and remote Applecross peninsula, which is known for its wealth of coastal, mountain, and forest walks.
The inn, which benefits from views across the Inner Sound to the isles of Raasay and Skye, offers seven en-suite bedrooms on a bed and breakfast basis.
Run by Judith Fish MBE, the pub is centred around a multiple award-winning dining room and bar with a peat-burning stove. The restaurant specialises in using local produce including seafood and Highland game and meats, as well as daily seafood specials and children and vegetarian menus.
The Good Food Guide described The Applecross Inn as a "legendary pub with seafood classics". Also praised was the inn's selection of more than 50 malt whiskies and ale from the locally owned Applecross Brewery
The experts wrote: "The Applecross Inn is legendary for its food, craic and location. At the end of the nail-bitingly vertiginous Bealach Na Bà Pass, it's the highest and one of the hairiest passes in Britain -- and a highlight of the famous North Coast 500 road trip.
"A sign at the bottom reads 'normally impassable in wintery conditions.' The less intrepid can curve around the coast from Shieldaig."
The Good Food Guide adds: "Inside, it's properly old-school, shabby but not chic: red carpets, orange pine panelling, the bar strung with fairy lights, a large wood-burner.
"The menu naturally showcases local seafood: Applecross Bay prawns or langoustines swimming in hot, garlicky butter; plump hand-dived scallops; local oysters; smoked salmon and crab.
"In terms of portion size, read: huge. Haggis flambéed in Drambuie is a plate-scraping show-stealer, while a luxurious special of seafood linguine in Champagne butter sauce is worth the hefty price tag. The menu also includes excellent fish and chunky chips (haddock, of course, as this is Scotland) alongside steaks, burgers, Thai curry and vegetarian chilli."
Meanwhile, The Clachan Inn is an award-winning pub located in the village of St John's Town of Dalry along the edge of Galloway Forest Park that is renowned for its many picturesque walking trails. It was described by The Good Food Guide as "a proper pub that ticks all the boxes".
The inn serves up varied food, from bar meals to traditional dining in its restaurant and bothy. The kitchen only uses locally sourced and seasonal produce, while a varied selection of real ale, craft beer, wine, Scottish gin, and malt whisky is also available.
The Good Food Guide stated: "A whitewashed village inn with slate floors, antique panelling and a bar festooned with dried hops, it runs to a template that will have your metropolitan friends turning green with envy.
"The bothy takes the overspill from the main dining area -- and there is nearly always overspill, so popular is the locally sourced, smartly presented cooking.
"A game-season starter might partner Gelston partridge with pickled pear, golden raisins and a hash brown done in duck fat, or look to potted shrimps with pickles of kohlrabi and cucumber.
"Loin of the local venison goes into a labour-intensive main course with a pie of the braised shank, with fondant swede and red cabbage for company, while the marine option might team monkfish and mussels against a backdrop of celeriac, 'nduja, black olives and samphire."
The full list of the best pubs for a winter walk in the UK can be found on The Good Food Guide website.