The Anchor Hotel in Tarbert, Harris, United Kingdom | Hotel | Hotel services

The Anchor Hotel's guests love the sounds of the harbour, the sights of the sea and the tastes of Loch Fyne in Tarbert, Scotland in the United Kingdom. We?re a natural stopping off point for walkers and cyclists en route to the Isles of Islay, Jura and Ghia; sailors enjoy our warmest hospitality along with an oyster shot or ten; whisky afficianados sample the finest island malts; golfers buy rounds and share rounds; divers exchange tales from the deep and often bring to our kitchens the freshest of shellfish.

They say that Tarbert never leaves you, and it never does. You can still taste the local food, smell the sea air and hear the gulls chasing the fishing boats long after you?ve left this beautiful part of Scotland. And we very much hope that as you browse these pages, you get a sense not just of the area, but of The Anchor.

We know that you?ll be calmed here. Our menus are based on local, fresh produce that include hand-dived scallops, Island game and dairy produce (venison in the evening, pheasant for breakfast, Arran brie to finish) and vegetables and herbs grown locally whenever possible. We don?t have everything all of the time ? sometimes catches are bad; sometimes an Irish fishing boat comes in and fresh herring becomes a prize ingredient. Langoustines can be temperamental little crustaceans, but we feature them heavily when they?re in plentiful supply. Mussels. Squat Lobster. Oysters. If they?re out there, they?re on the menu.

And our bedrooms are designed to make the most of harbour views where-ever possible. Simply furnished with the comfiest of downies and the squashiest pillows we could find, you?ll wake up well rested for whatever the rest of the day holds. So be calmed at The Anchor Hotel in Tarbert, Scotland. And become completely and utterly in love with this beautiful part of the world.

We?re a little harbour Hotel, remember, so we?re not grand. But we?re stylish, and comfortable ? warm in the winter, cool in the summer.
Our six double, seven twin rooms and one family room, all with either ensuite shower or bath, reflect our coastal location. Hints of sand and sea in the wall colours; checks and stripes in the simple furnishings; crisp white linen and plumped up duvets.

Harbour facing rooms have views to die for, whatever the weather, whatever the season. A constantly changing landscape needs little embroidery, but you?ll find beach-combing collections and books local to the area if you?re in need of resting your eyes. There are televisions in every room, but to be honest our visitors rarely want the intrusion ? why watch a box when the fishing boats are coming in, or the sun is setting, or the tide is heading out to sea! You?ll find yourself sitting by the window, perhaps, wondering why the rest of the world is so eternally busy.

In the morning you?ll wake to the sound of gulls and the aroma of freshly roasting coffee. Between eight and ten a.m. you can enjoy the leisurely ?rise and dine? breakfasts for which we have become so famous. A bloody mary perhaps. Or oysters and chorizo. Pheasant sausage and free range eggs (link to breakfast menu). Life doesn?t get much better than this.

If you?re a lover of seafood then you?ll eat well here. Mussels, lobsters, oysters, langoustines ? fresh every day, weather and season permitting.

Our harbour frontage gives us access to the freshest of catches and our chef enjoys experimenting with halibut and turbot, cod when it?s available and herring when the Irish fishing boats come in for the night. Dougald?s peat smoked haddock raised the comment ? ?he should be sainted? ? from one happy guest!

Being so close to the Islands of Islay and Jura, we have easy access to wonderful game and dairy produce ? venison is quite a speciality of ours, as is wild boar. Our beef comes mostly from Islay and has a wonderful peaty flavour. Island cheeses beautifully finish a meal, with home-made oatcakes, a dash of chutney, a bite of celery.

Our emphasis, when planning our menus, is to source the freshest of local produce whenever possible. Everything is cooked to order, which doesn?t make us the fastest of dining pubs. But our flavours are supreme and, we believe, well worth the short wait that?s a sign of wonderful things to come.

Rise and dine
From April ?til October our breakfasts are served from 8am until 12 noon. Home-made porridge with fresh cream and red berry compote; poached haddock on a black pudding stack; venison kidneys on toast; Islay smoked bacon, egg and pheasant sausage with potato scone on the side. Bloody Mary?s if you?re in the mood. Scrambled eggs, locally smoked salmon and champagne if you feel like really pushing the boat out.

Something lighter? Fresh fruit and yoghourts; Arran honey; homemade wholemeal bread, toasted, with jam and butter (OK, not so light, but what?s toast without jam!)