Satisfy your thirst for adventure! The world's most remote bars revealed, from Scotland to the Australian outback and an island 1,500 miles from the nearest inhabited landmass
- The Irish Pub in Namche Bazaar sits at 11,286 feet (3,400 metres) above sea level
- Faraday Bar in the Antarctic is over 700 miles from the nearest port
- The Old Forge prides itself on being the remotest pub on mainland Britain
You will definitely work up a thirst navigating to these remote bars - they are the most troublesome-to-reach drinking holes on the planet.
Two UK pubs make the list - one in Scotland, one off the Devon coast - along with a bar in the frozen wilds of Antarctica, two boozers in the blistering Australian outback and an establishment on stilts in the Caribbean Sea.
Their remoteness levels vary, but they all have one thing in common - they're all located in some of the planet's most eye-popping landscapes. Scroll down to see which spot you might fancy for a post-lockdown libation...
The Birdsville Hotel bar is adorned with memorabilia, from Australian hats and sports badges to tourist photos and licence plates
The Birdsville Hotel's weathered sandstone walls have been a welcome refuge to travellers from across the globe since 1884
Birdsville lies over 980 miles to the west of Brisbane. Many visitors arrive by air
Over 980 miles to the west of Brisbane on the edge of the Simpson Desert on a road, according to aussietowns.com, that 'effectively goes nowhere, apart from into the desert', lies Birdsville, an 'intensely isolated' Aussie outback town with a quintessential outback pub - The Birdsville Hotel.
The hotel's weathered sandstone walls have been a welcome refuge to travellers from across the globe since 1884 and the bar is adorned with memorabilia from Australian hats and sports badges to tourist photos and licence plates.
Getting to Birdsville by road requires planning, dedication and, if you're sensible, a four-wheel-drive SUV. Road conditions are notoriously unpredictable in the area and it's prone to aggressive dust storms - and flooding.
Birdsville is an 'intensely isolated' Aussie outback town on a road that 'goes nowhere'
Unsurprisingly, many travellers fly in.
Rex Airlines flies two commercial flights a week into Birdsville and there are several charter companies available for hire.
There is ample parking for planes right opposite the hotel, according to its website.
Faraday Bar, Antarctica
The Faraday Bar at the Vernadsky Research Base on Galindez Island in Antarctica
At the bar, women's underwear is exchanged for shots of vodka
The base was under the stewardship of the British, until they sold it to Ukraine for £1 in 1966
Located at 65º 15′ S - around five miles off the Antarctic Peninsula and 734 miles from the nearest port in South America - Faraday Bar is considered the southernmost drinking hole in the world.
Situated within the stark Vernadsky Research base, the inn is a refuge for male Ukrainian researchers living there, along with passing tourists who pop in for a swig of something during the summer months.
On one wall, a framed box - containing a small bottle of Jagermeister, a condom and a cigarette - hangs with a notice stating 'break in case of emergency'.
The cosy drinking hole, located on Galindez Island, is only accessible via expedition ships and operators must apply for permits before allowing thirsty tourists to disembark.
Vodka shots are free in exchange for a piece of women's underwear. And behind the bar is a selection of bras that passing tourists have used as currency.
The Vernadsky Research Base was under the stewardship of the British until they sold it to Ukraine for £1 in 1966, so the bar is a kitsch mixture of British and Ukrainian souvenirs and trinkets.
Albatross Bar, Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, Tristan da Cunha
The Albatross Bar, pictured by Flickr user Adrian Turner, is located on Tristan da Cunha, the world's most remote inhabited archipelago
There are regular dances and community events at the Albatross Bar
Welcome to the middle of the ocean.
The UK Overseas Territory of Tristan da Cunha - which has a circumference of just 25 miles - is famed for being the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world.
And therefore its 'Albatross Bar' has a very strong claim indeed to being the world's most remote pub.
The island is located in the South Atlantic, roughly halfway between Cape Town in South Africa and Uruguay in South America, 1,500 miles from the nearest inhabited landmass - Saint Helena.
Edinburgh of the Seven Seas lies on the north coast of Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha's main volcano rises to 6,760 feet above sea level - and is a sight to behold
Getting there is quite the challenge as there is no airstrip on the island, so arriving by boat is the only option.
To keep the 250 or so residents and visitors entertained, the Albatross Bar serves up a variety of tipples, including a special Tristan Island Brew.
The watering hole is located within the village hall in the main settlement of Edinburgh of the Seven Seas and there are regular dances and community events on the calendar.
The island is formed from a volcano that reaches 6,750ft above sea level and 11,500ft below it.
The Irish Pub, Nachme Bazaar, Nepal
The Irish Pub in the town of Nachme Bazaar, which is considered the gateway to Everest. This image was snapped by French photographer Bertrand Alméras
Simple name, not so simple to reach it.
'The Irish Pub' is a two-day hike (or a helicopter ride) from Lukla airport and is located in the town of Namche Bazaar, the gateway to Everest.
At 11,286 feet (3,400 metres) above sea level, it's considered to be one of the highest Irish bars in the world.
The clientele is a mixture of Sherpas, mountaineers and locals and in a nod to its name, the bar offers a variety of Irish whiskeys and draught beers.
It's probably the only Irish bar in the world to have yak burgers on its menu too. The ox-like mammals are used to carry goods up the mountains and as a food source.
Brooklyn Tavern, Cosmopolis, Washington State
The Brooklyn Tavern is a thoroughly tucked-away dive bar
Pete Andrijeski, who runs the blog site Seattlebars.org, took this image of the Brooklyn Tavern's eclectic interiors when he visited to review it
If you go down to the woods in Washington State you're in for a thirst-quenching surprise. The Brooklyn Tavern is a thoroughly tucked-away dive bar down a gravel road, around 25 miles from the nearest town.
Pete Andrijeski, who visited the bar to review it for his blog site seattlebars.org, says he was told before he visited that it was 'in the middle of nowhere' in the mountains.
One person who'd been told him he couldn't recall how to get there - or anything nearby.
It was originally built to service a logging town that doesn't exist anymore.
Inside there's a running creek that used to be used as a spittoon in its 1920's heyday, a wood-burning stove provides the only heat and its decor is a tribute to the loggers who once frequented it.
There's no TV and no phone signal, so customers have to 'talk to each like in the old days of logging', says tavern proprietor Larry Viguerie.
Floyd's Pelican Bar, Jamaica
Flickr user Jamie Maxwell took this image of Floyd's Pelican Bar, which is a mile off the Jamaican coast
Visitors are urged to carve their names into the wood, which acts as a permanent guest book
You'll be ready for a beverage after paddling over to Floyd's Pelican Bar in Jamaica.
The remote rustic hut built on stilts in the Caribbean Sea was the brainchild of a local called Floyd, who finished building it in 2001. It gets its name from the row of pelicans ever perched on a nearby sandbar.
It's roughly one mile from land - the nearest town is Black River - so punters need to paddleboard there or take a boat.
Despite Hurricane Ivan destroying the original bar in 2004, it was such an important landmark that within a month it had been rebuilt by locals.
Still run by Floyd himself, he urges visitors to carve their name into the structure's wood, which acts as a permanent guest book.
Whale's Tooth Inn, Adamstown, Pitcairn Island
The Whale's Tooth Inn, located on Pitcairn Island, is run by Pawl Warren, locally known as Pirate Pawl, and his partner Sue
Pitcairn Island lies 3,299 miles north-east of New Zealand in the middle of the Pacific
The Whale's Tooth Inn is located on Pitcairn Island, one of the most remote islands in the world - it's 3,299 miles north-east of New Zealand in the middle of the Pacific - and home to around 55 people, including the direct descendants of the HMAV Bounty mutineers.
The makeshift pub is run by Pawl Warren, locally known as Pirate Pawl, and his partner Sue.
A popular tipple is a shot of tequila served in the hollow of a whale's tooth.
Want to visit Pitcairn post-Covid? There's no airport, so boats are your only option
A guide for adventure travel company Wheeler Expeditions told MailOnline Travel: 'The pub is at the Warrens' home in Adamstown on Pitcairn and it's a place where everybody is always welcome for a beer, a drink, to socialise and play pool.'
Want to visit Pitcairn post-Covid? There's no airport, so boats are your only option.
Some cruise ships stop off for a few hours, weather permitting, or you could fly to Mangareva in French Polynesia and catch a supply ship from there.
The voyage to Pitcairn, 330 miles away, takes around 32 hours.
Neptune Bar, Indonesia
The Neptune Bar on the uninhabited outcrop of Pulau Sikeling in Indonesia
The bar springs to life during the Neptune Regatta, an annual week-long sailing race that begins in Batam, Indonesia
A map showing the location of Pulau Sikeling, which is eight nautical miles from the equator
The Neptune Bar on the uninhabited outcrop of Pulau Sikeling in the Riau Islands archipelago - eight miles from the equator - is dormant for an entire year.
Then it springs to life during the Neptune Regatta, an annual week-long sailing race that begins in Batam, Indonesia, during Chinese New Year.
It was built by villagers who live on the nearby island of Pulau Blanding, two miles to the west of Pulau Sikeling.
Marisco Tavern, island of Lundy, Devon
The Marisco Tavern, pictured, is located on the island of Lundy - 12 miles off the coast of Devon
The pub, which dates back to the 1860s, is a most traditional boozer.
The Marisco Tavern is located on the lost-in-time island of Lundy - 12 miles off the coast of Devon in the Bristol Channel.
It is the only pub on the island, reached via a two-hour ferry journey from either Bideford or Ilfracombe in the summer - or by helicopter in the winter.
The pub, which dates back to the 1860s, is a most traditional boozer.
The Landmark Trust, which manages the island, says on its website: 'There is no juke-box, no fruit machine and no television, nothing to distract from the age-old pleasures of human communication – the ban on the use of modern electronic devices such as mobile phones, smartphones and laptop computers is rigorously enforced.
'Instead travelling musicians are always welcome (acoustic only please) and the order of the day is social interaction, lubricated of course by a range of beverages.'
The Old Forge, Inverie, Scotland
The Old Forge: This pub is the most remote on the UK's mainland
The Old Forge serves obscure malts that, according to the pub's website, 'are easier to pronounce after a few have been consumed'
The Old Forge, in the village of Inverie on the Knoydart peninsula, prides itself on being the remotest pub on mainland Britain.
Reaching it requires determination.
As there are no connecting roads, guests must either hike for a couple of days across 18 miles or so of mountainous terrain from Loch Arkaig, Kinlochhourn, Shiel Bridge or the Cluanie Inn on the A87 - or catch a ferry from Mallaig, which is just under seven miles away across Loch Nevis.
Alternatively, you could arrive by helicopter - there's a landing pad in front of the pub in the beer garden - or charter a seaplane.
The reward for your efforts? A cosy bar regularly listed as one of the best places to drink in Britain that serves lots of ale, 'carefully handpicked wines' and obscure malts that, according to the pub's website, 'are easier to pronounce after a few have been consumed'.
The pub started as a smiddy forge (a blacksmith), evolved into a social club for locals and eventually transformed into a full-time public house.
William Creek Bar, South Australia
The William Creek Bar, which is in the outback town of William Creek in South Australia
The bar is part of the William Creek Hotel, which opened in 1935 in an old railway siding
The William Creek Bar describes itself as being in 'the middle of nowhere, on the way to somewhere'.
Mapmakers don't have much more to add.
Though we can further reveal that it's in Australia's smallest town - William Creek - in South Australia, on the 385-mile-long Oodnadatta Track.
It's part of the William Creek Hotel, which opened in 1935 in an old railway siding on the original Ghan railway line that stretched from Darwin to Adelaide.
According to its website, it's the congregation point where travellers and locals (there are only six people permanently living in William Creek) 'gather at the end of the day to chat over a drink'. Along with cooling beverages, the eclectic interiors are a draw, with different currencies stuck to the walls and ceilings.
Supplies for the bar, and the hotel, are delivered once a week by truck from the town of Coober Pedy, over 100 miles away.
The Little A'le'Inn, Nevada, USA
The Little A'le'Inn can be found in the remote town of Rachel, Nevada, on the Extraterrestrial Highway
The bar at the Little A'le'Inn, where dollar bills are pinned to the ceiling. The picture was snapped by Flickr user Airwolfhound and appears here courtesy of Creative Commons licensing
The nearest 'settlement' to the Little A'le'Inn in Rachel, Nevada - on the Extraterrestrial Highway - is mysterious military base Area 51, 25 miles away.
The name of the bar is linked to it and claims by physicist Bob Lazar made in 1989.
He said he worked on a UFO reverse-engineering team and that he'd watch flying saucers being tested in the night sky in the Tikaboo Valley, around 25 miles from Rachel.
From then on the area became a hotspot for UFO tourists and the owners of Rachel Bar & Grill changed the name to Little A'Le'Inn to cash in on their presence and the talk of Area 51 being a UFO garage.
Alien memorabilia is decked around the building and dollar bills are pinned to the ceiling behind the bar.
On the food front, specialities include a 'galaxy wrap' and the bar's 'world-famous alien burger' served with a secret alien sauce.
The Lost Bar, Oymyakon, Russia
The Lost Bar is so-called because it's 'the loneliest bar in the world'.
It is located in the frigid town of Oymyakon, which is so bone-chillingly cold that if you wear glasses they can freeze to your face.
And there's no point in having a mobile phone as the battery will just ice over.
Getting there involves a two-day drive from neighbouring city Yakutsk. In December, there are only three hours of sunlight a day.
The bar is said to be functional - but with plenty of vodka.
No comments: