Cawdor Tavern
“Scottish innkeeping at its best”
CAWDOR, HIGHLAND
Our View
The Tavern is tucked away in the heart of Cawdor’s pretty conservation village; nearby is the castle where Macbeth held court. Pretty wooded countryside slides away from the pub, offering plenty of opportunities for rambles and challenging cycle routes. Exercise over, repair to this homely hostelry to enjoy the welcoming mix of fine Scottish food and island microbrewery ales that makes the pub a destination in its own right. There’s an almost baronial feel to the bars, created from the Cawdor Estate’s joinery workshop in the 1960s. The lounge bar’s wonderful panelling came from Cawdor Castle’s dining room as a gift from a former laird; log fires and stoves add winter warmth, as does the impressive choice of Orkney Brewery beers and Highland and Island malts. An accomplished menu balances meat, fish, game and vegetarian options, prepared in a modern Scottish style with first class Scottish produce. Maybe start with haggis fritters in Orkney ale batter; or Cullen skink, before a main of collops of Highland venison with celeriac puree and saute potatoes. Settle in the delightful restaurant beneath wrought iron Jacobean chandeliers – alfresco drinking and dining is possible on the colourful patio area at the front of the Tavern during the warm summer months.
Awards, accolades and Welcome Schemes
AA Pick of the Pubs
Facilities – at a glance
Bar menu
Beer festival
Dog friendly
Free Wi-Fi
Features
- Children welcome
- Children's portions
- Free Wifi
- Parking available
- Coach parties accepted
- Credit Cards Accepted
- Closed: 25 December, 1 January
- Wide selection of Ales
- Wide selection of wines by the glass
Also in the area
About the area
Discover Highland
Apart from the Orkneys and the Shetlands, Highland is Scotland’s northernmost county. Probably its most famous feature is the mysterious and evocative Loch Ness, allegedly home to an ancient monster that has embedded itself in the world’s modern mythology, and the region’s tourist industry. Monster or no, Loch Ness is beautiful and it contains more water than all the lakes and reservoirs in England and Wales put together. The loch is 24 miles long, one mile wide and 750 feet deep, making it one of the largest bodies of fresh water in Europe.
At the very tip of the Highlands is John o’ Groats, said to be named after a Dutchman, Jan de Groot, who lived here in the early 16th century and operated a ferry service across the stormy Pentland Firth to Orkney. In fact, the real northernmost point of the British mainland is Dunnet Head, whose great cliffs rise imposingly above the Pentland Firth some two miles further north than John o’ Groats.
The Isle of Skye is the largest and best known of the Inner Hebrides. Its name is Norse, meaning ‘isle of clouds’, and the southwestern part of the island has some of the heaviest rainfall on the whole of the British coast. Despite this, it’s the most visited of all the islands of the Inner Hebrides. It’s dominated from every view by the high peaks of the Cuillins, which were only conquered towards the end of the 19th century.
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