Tigh An Truish

The name translates as the House of the Trousers, and the story behind it is a good one. After the 1745 rising, when the government banned tartan and the kilt, Seil islanders heading for the mainland would stop at this inn to change into trousers, then swap back on the way home. Legend has it a fair pile of forgotten trousers built up over the years. The inn sits at the island end of the Clachan Bridge, the humpbacked 1793 crossing known round here as the Bridge over the Atlantic, and it has been serving travellers making that crossing for the best part of 250 years.

The place has had a serious lift since new owners took over in 2021. The cooking now holds two AA Rosettes, the head chef William Rocks has appeared on MasterChef: The Professionals, and the inn itself carries five AA Gold Stars plus a breakfast award, which is a remarkable set of letters for a pub at the end of a single-track island road. The menu leans hard on what the west coast lands: Seil langoustines, mussels, venison, beef and lamb, with the Sunday roast built around slow-cooked short rib from Auchnasaul Farm. Portions and prices get consistent praise, and the dining room is modern without having thrown out the building's character.

The bar made it through the renovation intact, thankfully. It keeps its old wooden fittings, an L-shaped counter with a high bench seat known as the Perch, and handpumps pouring Fyne Ales from up the loch, Jarl among them. Dogs are welcome in the bar, kids throughout, and the beer garden looks straight at the bridge. There are three guest bedrooms upstairs for anyone wanting to stay over, done to the same standard as the food. One practical note: it closes Mondays and Tuesdays outside peak times and hours shift with the seasons, so ring 01852 300242 before making the drive. Twenty minutes from Oban, and worth every one of them.