As you might have seen in my October monthly round-up, we spent an incredible week in the Scottish Highlands last month. The scenery was so beautiful, I really can’t get over it. I’ll be covering our trip in at least two posts, because we covered quite a bit of ground. This time around I’ll be focusing on the places we visited around Inverness.
If you fly to the Scottish Highlands, Inverness is probably where you’ll start your adventures. The airport is small but friendly and modern. In fact it’s so small that it’s a mystery how my parents managed to get lost in the car park while picking us up. If you don’t have a parental taxi waiting for you then there’s info on onward travel on the Inverness Airport website. On our way home, we stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott at the airport and were very pleased with it – not least because we were given some free drinks vouchers for the bar!
The Scottish Highlands are quite a seasonal destination. The weather in Scotland is often rainy year round, and it’s very cold in winter. Some tourist attractions had already closed for the season in October. If you’re not travelling in the summer, check online in advance to avoid disappointment.
South of Inverness: Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness
What’s the first thing you think of when you think of Scotland? If it’s not Nessie, you need to take a long hard look at yourself!
Loch Ness is about 30 minutes south of Inverness. It took us about 50 minutes to get from the airport to Urquhart Castle, which is about half way along the 23-mile mega-loch. It really is gigantic, with the largest volume of fresh water in Great Britain (thanks Britannica!). Plenty of space to hide a wee Loch Ness Monster!
Urquhart Castle
A ruined castle sitting in a location both picturesque and strategic, Urquhart Castle allows you to soak up the views while learning about 1000 years of history. Aside from the castle, there’s also a visitor centre with a film, café and large shop. Apparently, there is also an audio guide which you can access via your phone, but I missed that information!
If you’re an Outlander fan, then you might recognise Urquhart Castle as the place where Claire spots the water horse. Historic Scotland have a helpful Outlander itinerary if you’re keen to explore all the locations.
Tickets: Adults £13 / Over 65s £10.40 / Children 7-15 £7.80 / Children under 7, Historic Scotland members, Explorer Pass, Carers £0 / Family ticket (1 adult, 2 children) £25.50 / Family ticket (2 adults, 2 children) £37.50 / Family ticket (2 adults, 3 children) £44.50
Members of English Heritage, Manx and Cadw receive a 50% discount on admission in their first year of membership, and free entry if they have been members for more than one year. I was disappointed that my Student ID, National Trust membership and Art Pass were all useless.
Loch Ness Centre
We didn’t have time to visit the Loch Ness Centre, but it’s an immersive (lol) experience which looks like fun. There’s also the opportunity to cruise the loch on a research vessel, using sonar to explore the depths.
Tour Tickets: Adults from £14.35 / Children (5-15) from £11.65 / Family (2 adults, 2 children) from £47.50
Cruise Tickets: Adults £19 / Children (1-15) £16.95
If you’re in the area, Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle are worth a trip. We went to Loch Ness because we didn’t want to have FOMO. didn’t think it was the most picturesque loch, but the castle was nice, and I saw a man in a kilt, so that was fun. I wouldn’t be adverse to a return visit to explore the Loch Ness Centre and go on a boat trip.
Top Tip: If like us you are heading off to the west coast after your visit to Loch Ness, bear in mind that you’re going to be driving a really long way along single-track roads. You might want to time your visit to avoid driving at night (we didn’t).
North of Inverness: Dunrobin Castle
About an hour and fifteen minutes to the north of Inverness you can find Dunrobin Castle and Gardens. This is an entirely different kettle of fish from Urquhart Castle, looking more like a lost French Chateau. Continuously inhabited since the 1300s, it’s the most northerly of Scotland’s great houses.
Ticket prices include entry to 18 rooms in the castle, gardens, museum and falconry display. There’s also a tea room and gift shop.
The house is very grand, with lavishly furnished rooms. There are small cat details dotted around the place, denoting the symbol on the coat of arms of Clan Sutherland. This intel comes care of my stepdad – I just thought they were into cats. There is also a shrine to Mary Queen of Scots, which I enjoyed!
Based on the design of the gardens at Versailles, the gardens are formally laid out in keeping with the castle’s architecture. I particularly loved the view from the castle of the gardens with the sea beyond. The falconry display takes place in the corner of the garden.
A word of warning. The museum is a throwback, and there is a large collection of taxidermy dating from the early 1900s on display. It hasn’t been updated, so you get the sense that you’re stepping back in time, and not in a good way. I would have preferred a more modern approach with perhaps a bit of educational info about the results of hunting, etc. Other visitors seemed to enjoy it, with one man remarking it hadn’t changed in 20 years.
As an English person, I know very little about Scottish history. It’s not something which we’re taught at school, and I’ve never made the effort to learn about it. I was therefore very interested to read Beth’s post about the role of the Sutherland family in the Highland Clearances, and the lack of acknowledgement of this period at the castle.
Tickets: Adults £14 / Children £9 / Seniors £12 / Students £12 / Families (2 adults and up to 3 children) £42
Glenmorangie Distillery
If you’re heading back into Inverness from Dunrobin by car, you’ll pass the Glenmorangie Distillery, where you can take part in a tour. We didn’t do this, because it was a Saturday and it’s only open on the weekends between June and August. However, if you’re travelling at a more fortuitous time, you can enjoy an hours tour with two drams for £20 per person.
Inverness City
We only spent a few hours in Inverness. We literally browsed Leakey’s bookshop and then had a very tasty dinner at Encore. Something which I enjoyed about Inverness is that while Encore was relatively upmarket, and some people were quite glam, they were also very accepting of us rocking up looking bedraggled.
If you have more time, then I’d recommend taking a look at Visit Scotland’s list of things to do in Inverness.
It’s definitely a city I’d be happy to return to and explore in more depth – Ben and I are already talking about taking a road trip from Inverness via Perth and Crieff to either Glasgow or Edinburgh at some point.
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