Plans for £1 million spend at Carbeth Inn

The owners of The Oak Tree Inn in Balmaha are delighted to announce that they have just bought The Carbeth Inn in Blanefield - which is on the road between Milngavie and Drymen.

Milngavie and Bearsden Herald previously reported that customers were ‘heartbroken’ when the historic pub had closed, after 200 years of trading.

The popular Carbeth Inn was put up for sale as a ‘going concern’ by owners Greene King last October.

The closure of the Inn, which was established in 1816, deeply saddened many customers and residents in the area and many people hoped that someone would rescue it.

Brothers Stuart and David Fraser, who together launched the St Mocha coffee shop in Balmaha and on Luss pier, are delighted to have just completed the purchase of The Carbeth Inn.

Stuart said: “We are very excited about this new project and have loads of ideas for the future.

“We love the traditional style of the building and that’s why we were keen to buy it.

“Our plan is to extend and modernise it in sympathy to the original building, taking it back to the original stone and wood.

“The days of a pub beside a road are sadly over largely due to the new drink driving legislation so to create a sustainable business we had to change it’s identity.”

The brothers have already met with architects on site to discuss their plans.

This includes possibly building eco-friendly houses which could be used as holiday homes and building some huts on-site to allow people from Glasgow or from abroad to experience the hutting community lifestyle.

They may also provide a cycle hire facility.

They plan to spend about £1 million on the project and hope to create about 20 to 30 new jobs for the area as well as promote produce from local suppliers such as micro-breweries and butchers.

Stuart added: “We’d like to provide people with a bit of an escape from city life which isn’t too far away and provide another place to showcase local businesses.”

Stuart and David will also remain very much involved with the running of The Oak Tree Inn and St Mocha, with other members of the family.