Castle Hotel, Portmahomack

Under new management since start April 2022 by Karen Reid and family.

The single hand pump offers a rotating selection of beers from Cromarty, Black Isle and Orkney.

Former proprietors John and Denise made this local a hub of the community with its regular music, quiz, and theme nights throughout the year, particularly in the Winter with its warming stove.

In years gone by, a longcase clock had a proud location in the bar, and in 2018 it has returned to tell people when it is "time please".

Close to the Thomas Telford designed 19th Century harbour and an enticing strip of brilliant white sand beyond to walk on either before or after a pint.

No "beer garden" as such, but there is bench seating in the front of the pub which in the afternoon is a sun trap, with a view out to the sea and beach (see picture)

A particularly attractive part of the coastal Highlands with Tarbert Ness and its imposing red and white banded Robert Stevenson lighthouse. Further down the coastline Balintore with its "Mermaid of the North" reclining on a rock.

Plenty of (free) parking close to the pub, and along Main and Harbour Street.

Although on the East Coast of Scotland, with Portmahomack facing the West, there are often brilliant and dramatic sunsets to the West, overlooking the Dornoch Firth. In fact, the hotel website boasts that "the Port" is the only village on the east coast that faces west!