One of the country’s most remote post offices re-opened this week allowing customers to send parcels and bank money without having to take a ferry for the first time in 18 months.
The branch at Inverie closed in April 2019 due to the retirement of the Postmaster and the withdrawal of the premises for Post Office use.
It has now re-opened in the expanded village shop, providing banking services for personal customers and small businesses, as well as letter and parcel collection and home shopping returns.
Planned opening hours are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10am to noon.
Knoydart is reached only by foot or by boat and has no bank, so the new facility has been welcomed by customers who will no longer have to travel to the next nearest post office in Mallaig on the mainland.
The shop is run by Knoydart Trading, a subsidiary of the community-controlled Knoydart Foundation which took over the land in 1999.
Craig Dunn, the foundation’s operations manager, said re-opening the post office is part of efforts focusing on providing local services. He said: “It’s taken us a year to get to this stage. It will mean people will not have to go on the ferry for their banking and we can send letters and parcels without too much hassle.”
He said the foundation also hopes to develop a mail order service for its Knoydart Wild Venison brand.
David Duff, Post Office change manager, said: “We are delighted to be restoring Post Office service to the area. We will be making it easier for customers to get their cash, send and collect their mail and do their banking because we know how important these services are to local residents.
“We are confident that this vibrant new-style Post Office at the heart of the local community will meet customer needs.”
