Billionaire’s business buys popular pub - plans 2-year ‘restoration’ of site with trade restarting 2026/27
The billionaire owner of Glenfeshie Estate has bought up the popular Dores Inn - and it could be shut for two years while refurbishment of the wider site is carried out.
Aviemore-based WildLand is owned by Anders Holch Povlsen who already owns several large estates in the strath and wider Highlands.
The company has just announced it has acquired the pub and hospitality venue on the shores of Loch Ness at Dores.
The pub, which was advertising a Halloween pub quiz at the venue just two weeks ago, is now listed as being “temporarily closed” on Google, and visitors to its website are being advised that a new website will be launching soon.
However, information released by WildlLand suggests that the pub could be closed for two years following its sale.
The conservation and rewilding business confirmed that it will soon embark on an 18 to 24 month “review and restoration of the site… enabling business at the site to restart in 2026/27”.
It is not yet known what this two-year programme of works will mean for access to the site, its popular car park, and the neighbouring Dores Beach.
But the release did raise the prospect that there could be some form of disruption, with WildLand stating that it is “committed to working closely” with the community to “carefully manage where possible short-term challenges to amenities like car parking, public toilets and beach access during the project’s duration”.
The closure also comes just days after Dores Beach’s popular coffee shop, The Spot, announced it was ceasing trading. Posting on its socials just four days ago, the Spot said it was "no longer" able to "trade at our pitches, nor in the van, or at Dores Beach".
Saying "changes are afoot at Dores", The Spot's Facebook page added: "It has been an absolute please serving every single cup of coffee, ice cream and cookie over the last three-and-a-half years.
"The Spot may be gone but the view which inspired it will last forever".
It is not known if the announcement is linked to Povlsen’s purchase of the nearby inn.
Confirming the purchase of the Dores Inn, Tim Kirkwood, who is CEO of WildLand said: “The Dores Inn is a popular and much-loved pub and restaurant in one of the most prominent and picturesque Loch Ness settings, close to Inverness and frequently visited by local people and visitors for access to the beach.
“When we heard that long-term sustainability of business at the site could be enhanced through investment in the premises, it became clear that we should look at solutions that will align well with the interests of our business and the local community alike.
“We are now committing a substantial programme of investment in the fabric of the premises with a view to getting the business back up and running there as a pub and restaurant in a very special location. We look forward to engaging and sharing detailed plans with the village once a full review has been undertaken.”
WildLand is a conservation brand that has set out a 200-year vision to regenerate nature across some of the Highlands’ most rugged and beautiful landscapes.
It has three significant areas under management - WildLand Cairngorm, WildLand North Coast (Sutherland) and WildLand Lochaber (West Highlands).
WildLand claims it is “achieving ecological restoration at a landscape scale and has developed a world class portfolio of quality, design-led tourism experiences”.
It also states that its work at its various Highland sites will support “diverse economic opportunities for rural communities and allow guests to enjoy the best of Scotland’s hospitality, natural heritage and landscape”.
