A couple have swapped their busy London lifestyle for the unique experience of running Britain’s most remote pub, attracting patrons from across the globe who travel thousands of miles for a pint.
Rachel Devine, 46 and her wife Jhennia Leipert, 44, have taken charge of The Puffer Bar on Easdale, known as the smallest permanently inhabited island of the Inner Hebrides in Scotland.
The snug island boasts a modest population of approximately 60 residents and is charmingly free from roads. A recent study added to the pub’s fame by naming it not only the most secluded watering hole in Scotland, but across the entire UK.
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Yearning for a significant change post-lockdown, the couple decided to leave the urban sprawl of London behind and embrace the serenity and challenges of island life. They then purchased The Puffer from the previous proprietors who had managed it for a decade.
Rachel said: “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.
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“It is quite empty in the winter because of the boats – a lot of people don’t want to come over when the weather it is a bit rougher. 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.
“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.”
The Puffer Bar prides itself as both a pub and a restaurant, dishing out an assortment of fresh fare and beverages. Although its restaurant is currently closed, the pub doors swing open from 6pm between Thursday and Saturday.
Last year, the pub received a fresh look from interior designer Banjo Beale for the BBC series “Designing The Hebrides.” Rachel confessed her concerns about the local reaction to the pub’s redesign, saying: “[The pub] had originally been styled like an old puffer boat – they were like black and red, they were dark and looked like a designed of a boat.
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“Banjo came in and we lightened it up – he kept the boat motif with the bar. It looks very different than it did a year ago but the islanders were great. Some of them were a wee bit sad that we were doing it but I think most people have really taken to.”
“It brings a new life into the pub and it reset it for us as new owners.”
The pub is a global attraction, drawing visitors from around the world to enjoy a pint or a meal. Rachel reminisced about their unique collection of international currency, and tourists often pin a banknote from their home country to the ceiling, adding: “There is money from Thailand, America, Brazil, Nigeria, Australia.”
She highlighted the charm of visiting a carless island, which adds to the remote feel: “I think for a lot of people is a really fun thing to do to visit us and being on a carless island that makes it feel remote because we are so used to vehicles all the time.”
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Despite the challenges, Rachel doesn’t regret taking over the business but admits it can be tough. She confessed: “Sometimes we definitely say to each other ‘what on earth were we thinking’ but on the whole we have loved most every moment of it.
“It is really hard – it is much more work then we realised and we thought it was going to be a lot of work. But it is remote in the sense of just even trying to get food and drink to do the pub and takes a lot of effort.”
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