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Inverness is the capital of the Scottish Highlands and one of the fastest-growing cities in Britain. It’s a bustling, cosmopolitan and prosperous centre and its position at the head of the Great Glen and on the shores of the Moray Firth draws scores of tourists every summer in search of the elusive Loch Ness Monster. It’s the major transport hub of the region and an ideal jumping off point for exploring the Highlands with their stunning landscape of towering mountains, deep glens and vast, brooding lochs. Within the Highlands you’ll find Scotland’s most famous treasures, Ben Nevis, its highest mountain, Loch Ness, Europe’s most famous sweep of water, Loch Morar, Scotland’s deepest loch and Culloden, scene of the last full battle on British soil when the Jacobites led by Bonnie Prince Charlie were defeated. From Inverness you can also reach Aviemore, John O’Groats, Skye and Plockton, the magnificent setting for the Hamish Macbeth TV series. Despite a population of only 75,000, and a small city centre, Inverness has the feel of a much larger city with the shops and attractions to match. Its shopping is excellent, particularly in the pedestrianised High Street and newly-extended Eastgate Centre while the refurbished Victorian Arcade is stashed with dozens of local handicraft shops and one-off boutiques. If you’re searching for your own clan tartan, visit the Kiltmaker Centre where you’ll discover everything you need to know about the plaid cloth and can be measured up for one of your own. Leakeys Second Hand Book shop is a well kept secret in Inverness and is Scotland’s largest second-hand bookstore – a great place for book lovers to browse. The stock changes constantly and includes maps and prints. For something really traditional head to Ceberfeidh Bagpipe Supplies which stocks everything pipe related from chanters and CDs to sheet music and full sets of pipes.
Dominating the city is the huge Inverness Castle, a pink sandstone confection dating from 1746 and although this now houses the Sheriffs Court, the museum below provides a useful overview of the town’s history and the adjoining Castle Art Gallery features an interesting programme of temporary exhibitions. The Gallery is one of Scotland’s leading commercial galleries, however, the gallery’s workshops are home to designers, artists and craftsmen who create jewellery, wooden items and ceramics: every one of which is a real work of art But one of the chief delights of the city is a leisurely stroll along the River Ness to a group of islands, linked by a network of Victorian footbridges. The Ness Islands are planted with mature Scots pine, fir and beech and make the ideal spot for a quiet picnic. www.visitscotland.com/walking If you’re after entertainment, there’s plenty of choice from Highland ceilidhs, traditional dance and song to coaching inns and pubs serving up the finest malts and huge selections of real ales, including the rich and fruity Orkney Dark Island. Inverness prides itself on being the cultural capital of the north of Scotland and hosts a packed programme of music, concerts and dance shows, and, if you visit in June 2007, you’ll be in time for the World Highland Games championships when thousands of events and activities will take place in Inverness and across the Highlands. So if you’re planning to strike south through the forests and lochs of the Great Glen, catch a glimpse of the resident dolphin population in the Moray Firth or go monster-hunting at Loch Ness, spend a few days first in Inverness enjoying a spot of urban sophistication.
One of the best ways to see the sights is from the top of an open-top bus, tours leave the bus station and Bridge Street, by the tourist office, every hour from 10am-4pm from May to September. The circuit covers all the most interesting sites such as the castle, St Andrew’s cathedral, Floral Hall and James Pringle Woollen Mill. Once you’ve toured the city, nip back to the castle and take a look inside the museum and gallery. Have a heart-warming early lunch at one of the riverside pubs and then buy a ticket from the tourist office to board the Jacobite Queen for a two-hour cruise on Loch Ness, after all where else can you go monster-hunting? A free minibus will take you to the boat. Even in winter and if the weather’s dismal, the scenery is stunning and a glimpse of Urquhart Castle is magical whether you spot Nessie or not. Back in town, visit the Kiltmaker Centre and have a kilt made up while you’re there. If you’re short of Scottish ancestry, just pick a tartan you like. End the day with another unique experience and call Davey the Ghost (07730 831069) for a nightly ghost tour of the city’s haunts, it ends with a visit to a local haunted pub, but tours take place only in summer. If it’s winter, head across to Balnain House for a night of bagpipes, whisky and song.
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You shouldn’t have difficulty finding a room in Inverness, the best places are along the banks of the river south of the Ness Bridge, but book ahead in July and August. www.flybehotels.com By road: Inverness Airport is nine miles east of Inverness. From the city centre follow signs for A96 East to Inverness Airport. www.invernessairport.com Contact Flybe’s car rental partner Avis for the best available car hire rates. By bus: From Inverness centre bus No.11 runs from Queensgate to the airport every hour and a half. It takes 20 minutes and costs £2.50. www.rapsons.co.uk By train: Take a taxi to nearby Nairn station where trains leave for Inverness every two hours, with a journey time of 15 minutes. www.thetrainline.co.uk By taxi: Plenty of taxis outside the terminal building, it takes about 10 minutes to reach the city centre and costs about £15.
With the exception of Loch Ness, all the major tourist sights are easily reached on foot in the city centre. If you want to explore the Highlands there are trains and buses, but you’ll need to plan your route. Scottish Citylink, tel: +44 (0) 670 550 5050, run buses from Perth to Inverness, from Glasgow to Fort William and also link Inverness to Fort William along the Great Glen. Two railway lines serve the city, Perth-Aviemore-Inverness in the east, Glasgow-Fort William-Mallaig in the west, tel: +44 (0) 845 748950. A number of companies operate cruises to Loch Ness including Jacobite Cruises, tel: +44 (0) 1463 233999, and for dolphin-watching trips, try Inverness Dolphin Cruises, tel: +44 (0) 1463 717900. The tourist office tel: +44 (0) 1463 234353 has a full list of operators.
If you’re after Highland music, head to Balnain House, tel: +44 (0) 1463 715757, for bagpipes in a lively Scottish atmosphere. Wednesday night is ceilidh night, the best way to see how Inverness can party. Blackfriars Pub, tel: +44 (0) 1463 233881, Academy Street, is hugely popular with locals and tourists and has a line-up of regular entertainers. Johnnie Foxes Pub Restaurant, tel: +44 (0) 1463 236577 is a fun and friendly multi-level Irish pub offering everything from karaoke to ceilidh dancing. It’s equally good for a business drink or family night out. Eden Court Theatre, tel: +44 (0) will offer a huge programme of dance, drama and music when it reopens in September 2007, in the meantime the Inverness Tourist Centre has a list of alternative venues, tel: +44 (0) 1463 234353. Hootananny brings the best in live music, superb Thai cuisine and a range of the finest locally produced real ales. Wrap that up with a warm welcome and you have the best night out in the Highland capital. (tel: =44 (0) 1463 233651) www.hootananny.com Inverness has become one of the fastest-growing cities in the UK thanks to its stunning location in the Highlands and increasingly strong transport links. The town’s population of 75,000 has an enviable quality of life, living in an increasingly fashionable city without the pollution, congestion or crime associated with similar sized towns. Tourism is a key industry (over one million tourists arrive here every year) along with telecommunications, medical research, renewable energy and healthcare and the town is well geared up for further growth with six industrial estates and business parks. If you’re in the technology business, The Green House, has been set up to boost this sector and offers a range of business development services. For more opportunities contact the Inverness Chamber of Commerce, tel: +44 (0) 1463 718131, www.inverness-chamber.co.uk
And if you’re looking for a second home or to escape the rat race, a three-bed terraced house can be bought for £65,000, while a romantic former crofter’s cottage with sweeping sea views on the Isle of Skye can be had for £185,000. www.rightmove.co.uk The average house price in Inverness is £183, 965 with the majority of properties being flats. Just up the road in the quaint and pretty town of Alness the average house price is £232, 850. All averages are calculated from the asking prices for each property. www.home.co.uk Loch Ness Cruises: Jacobite Cruises (tel: +44 (0) 1463 233999) runs cruises year-round from Tomnahurich Bridge to Loch Ness, a return trip takes in Urquart Castle, but there are plenty of different options if you’re hoping to glimpse the monster. www.jacobite.co.uk Loch Ness Express: Cruise the entire length of Loch Ness, past Urquhart Castle and on to Fort Augustus, while enjoying superb views and refreshments in comfort. Embark at Inverness, Foyers or Fort Augustus. Enjoy a different evening story-telling cruise against the stunning backdrop of Loch Ness, or an afternoon sail to Urquhart Castle. To find out more freephone 0800 328 6426. www.lochnessexpress.com Cawdor Castle: (tel: +44 (0) 1667 404401. Open every day from May 1st to October 14th 2007, between 10am and 5.30pm, last admission to house - 5pm. Cawdor. A magical name, romantically linked by Shakespeare with Macbeth. A superb fairy-tale Castle, and just what every visitor is looking for... Scottish history that you can touch and see and sense for yourself. Cawdor Castle is not another cold monument, but a splendid house and the home of the Cawdor family to this day. Cawdor Castle dates from the late 14th century and was built as a private fortress by the Thanes of Cawdor. The ancient medieval tower was built around the legendary holly-tree.
Inverness Museum and Art Gallery: (tel: +44 (0) 1463 237114) open Mon-Sat 09.00-1700. Admission free. It gives a good insight into the town’s history and features wildlife dioramas, geological displays and plenty of historic weapons. Together with the special exhibitions in the art gallery, it makes the ideal rainy day activity. Kiltmaker Centre: (tel: +44 (0) 1463 222781) Open mid-May to end-Sep, Mon-Sat 09.00-21.00 and Oct-mid May Mon-Sat 09.00-17.00. Entry £1 with concessions. Discover everything you ever needed to know about kilt-making and have one made up while you’re here. www.hector-russell.com Eden Court Theatre: (tel: +44 (0) 1463 234234) Currently undergoing a £2 million facelift to make it the biggest multi-arts centre north of the border, this is the only large-scale venue serving the Highlands and Islands and will offer a wide-ranging, year-round theatre and cinema programme when it reopens in Autumn 2007. www.eden-court.co.uk Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre: (tel: +44 (0) 1463 790607) Culloden Moor, five miles east of Inverness. Open 1 Apr-31 Oct, 10.00-17.30. A gripping exhibition depicting the Battle of 1746 between the forces of Bonnie Prince Charlie and the government army led by the Duke of Cumberland putting an end to the ’45 Jacobite uprising. Dolphin Cruises: The Moray Firth is famous for its bottlenose dolphins, boats leave from many small ports for close observation. Contact Inverness Tourist Information Centre, tel: +44 (0) 1463 234353, email Inverness@host.co.uk Urquhart Castle: (tel: +44 (0) 1456 450551) Open all year, except on 25 and 26 December. Magnificently sited, overlooking Loch Ness. Urquhart is one of the largest castles in Scotland, with a long and colourful history, built in the 1230s, seized by the English in 1296, sacked by the MacDonald Lord of the Isles in 1545 and left to fall into decay after 1689. www.historic-scotland.gov.uk
Moray Firth: Few visitors come to Inverness without a trip to Loch Ness but east of the city is the Moray Firth which stretches along a beautiful coastline dotted with pretty beaches, attractive old towns and plenty of historic sites and castles. The Firth is best known for its huge dolphin population, best time to see them is between June and August, two of the top dolphin-spotting sites are the southern shore of the Black Isle and Fort George. Fort George: ( tel: +44 (0) 1667 462777) is about 11 miles north-east of Inverness and is Europe’s best surviving example of military architecture. It was finished in 1769 as the last of three fortifications built in the Highlands, (Fort Augustus and Fort William being the others) as a base for George II’s army. The walk around the ramparts gives excellent views out to sea and over the Great Glen. Culloden: Six miles east of Inverness is Culloden, one of the most iconic and emotive sites in Scotland. The battle that took place here in 1746 ended the Jacobite dream of restoring the exiled Stuart dynasty to the throne of Britain. The battle took less than an hour but the measures that were then imposed signalled the end of the old clan system and distinctive way of life for the Highland people. The National Trust for Scotland is working hard to conserve Culloden with reconstructed dykes and restored Leadnach Cottage. There is a visitor centre, tel:+44 (0) 1463 790607, here with weapons and artefacts from the period, but a far better new one is being planned. A guided tour is a better option. Nairn: If you’re after a good sandy beach, head to Nairn, a popular seaside resort and reckoned to have the driest and sunniest climate in Scotland. Aside from its beaches, Nairn offers two 18-hole championship golf courses and two of the most impressive castles, Cawdor (of Macbeth fame) and Brodie, within easy reach. The big event in the town’s calendar is the Nairn Highland Games, held in mid-August and Nairn Jazz Festival, also in August. Contact Nairn’s Tourist Information Centre for details, tel: +44 (0) 1667 452763.
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Despite being 5,000 years old, Clava Cairns, a Bronze-Age site just southeast of Culloden, has recently been causing Inverness Tourist Information Centre nothing but trouble. It started when the tourist centre received a lump of rock through the post, sent by a Belgian who’d visited the Clava Cairns stone circles. He’d pocketed the rock as a souvenir, believing it to be a Stone Age axe. On his return home, he and his family had a run of seriously bad luck. Blaming the rock, the Belgian decided to come clean and sent the rock back to the tourist office which the TIC generously replaced. Unfortunately for the TIC, the story hit the headlines of the local and national press, causing a flood of stones to start arriving at the centre, all of which have been replaced. To the unimaginative visitor, the Clava Cairns look merely like a pile of stones, but standing beside the burial cairns is undeniably spooky. Steal its rocks at your peril. |
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