We live on a tiny Scottish island with just 200 people – our only pub closed but now we've had last laugh

Scottish Sun

09-05-2025

The pub was on the market for several years with no buyer coming forward
CHEERS TO THAT We live on a tiny Scottish island with just 200 people – our only pub closed but now we've had last laugh
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RESIDENTS of a tiny Scottish island have banded together to buy their only local pub.
The Taversoe on Rousay, Orkney, is back in business after its previous owner struggled to find a new one.
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Rousay has a population of around just 200
Credit: Alamy
The pub's future looked uncertain until it was agreed on the island that a community buyout was the best way to secure the business.
Rousay, which has a population of around 200 and sits just north of the mainland, enjoys a healthy flow of tourists in the summer.
The community is now hoping the pub will do good trade in local ales, whiskies, fresh crabs and lobsters this season.
A new coffee machine has also been bought.
The manager is Bill Brown, a former social worker from West Lothian who moved to Rousay two years ago to embark on a new chapter in his life.
Mr Brown is self-employed and leases the building from the Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre Development Trust, who secured the community buy-out.
Mr Brown said: " As a community, people are delighted that the pub is open again.
"Managing the pub was too good an opportunity to miss. Community is something that is very close to my heart."
He added: "It is both a pub and a hub for Rousay and we have gone all cosmopolitan.
"We now have a posh coffee machine to entice the ladies of the parish in. We even have the syrups.
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"We are also big on Orkney produce, the ales and the whiskies.
"We do locally caught lobster and crab, when we can get it. The food miles are negligible."
On whether Mr Brown expects to make a profit, he added: "Monetarily, probably not. Socially and personally, probably yes".
The Taversoe was bought from former owner Carey McGuire, who ran the pub for around 16 years.
The premises were on the market for several years, with no buyer coming forward.
Lloyd Gudgeon, of the Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre Development Trust, said: "We did a community consultation and people were adamant that the island needed a pub.
"It is not just a place to have a drink. It has a real social function and it serves lots of purposes."
The Taversoe has four letting bedrooms, with hopes to add a fifth in time.
Mr Gudgeon said: "We do get a lot of visitors, we have so many ancient sites, there are rare birds and there is good sailing.
"The struggle we have is that we have a good ferry service and people tend to visit us from the mainland for a day, have a quick whizz around and then go back to the mainland on the afternoon ferry.
"We needed the pub to give them a place where they can have lunch and then we can encourage them to stay a little longer."
The development trust was awarded £267,948 from the Scottish Land Fund for the purchase of the hotel.
It is expected the pub will close for some time over the winter to allow a new heating system to be put in, which will reduce costs in the long term.