Is Inverness Worth Visiting?

We get this question asked a lot, so we thought it would be a good idea to explain why we think Inverness is worth including in your Scotland tour. And why, if you are looking for a Scottish touring base, Inverness could be your best option.

Inverness has had city status since 2000, but with only ~50K inhabitants, it’s really just a large town. So, don’t be misled into thinking that its city status means it has all the facilities of Edinburgh or Glasgow. What Inverness does have is a great location at the intersection of a road network that radiates out in all directions like the spokes of a cartwheel. It’s the range of different tourist attractions accessible from Inverness that makes it such a great place to stay.

We’ve read comments on some travel forums from people saying that Inverness isn’t worth a visit, but that’s probably because they weren’t looking at the bigger picture of the diversity of day trip options that are possible from Inverness. So, we are going to give you a taste of the wide range of attractions that you can visit within a short driving time from Inverness. We are not going to talk in detail about Loch Ness as that’s way too obvious. Instead, we are highlighting places that you might not realise are so accessible from Inverness.

If you want a guide to help you plan a road trip that features these places, you can get all the details in our Sceni Flexi tour itinerary which details 5 different day trip options from Inverness

List of locations:

• Culloden
• Fort George
• Cawdor Castle
• Reelig Glen
• Urquhart Castle
• Dolphin Boat trip from Avoch
• Rogie Falls
• Ben Wyvis
• Corrimony Chambered Cairn
• Glen Affric
• Culbin Forest (Hill 99)
• Brodie Castle
• Cromarty & the Cromarty Ferry
• Glenmorangie Distillery
• Fyrish Monument
• How long should I stay in Inverness?
   

Culloden - 20 mins drive from Inverness:

We have to start with Culloden Battlefield because it’s arguably the main reason most folk come to Inverness (after Loch Ness, of course). The Visitor centre at Culloden gives you an excellent understanding of the events leading up to this tragic battle that had such devastating consequences for Highland culture.

The exhibition is laid out so that you walk along corridors where the timeline of events is explained from both the Jacobite and Hanoverian perspectives. It’s an information overload, but you can take your time and absorb as much as you wish.

The highlight of the exhibition is a room where you are immersed in the battle experience as if being an observer standing between the two opposing forces. It’s a visceral experience, and we’ve seen some visitors moved to tears by the end of the film show.

There is also a really good audio-visual recreation of the battle that projects the troop movements onto a large-scale map of the battlefield. This really helps you to visualise how the conflict unfolded and how desperately unsuitable the terrain was for the tactics of the Highlanders.

After the exhibition, you can walk out onto the battlefield that they are trying to return to a state similar to how it would have looked in 1746. Blue and Red flags mark the starting lines of the Jacobite and British army positions, and information boards explain which clans were positioned along the line.

For a tour of the exhibition and battlefield, you should allow at least 90 mins.

Fort George - 30 mins drive from Inverness:

After a visit to Culloden, it is interesting to visit Fort George which was started in 1748 to provide the British Army with a power base from which to suppress any future Jacobite rebellions. The fort is an awesome show of military power, and must have crushed any thoughts of resistance by the remaining Jacobites.

I first visited on a cold March day that made the fort seem even more gloomy and oppressive. It certainly made me wonder how I would feel if I was a Highlander that had fought at Culloden, but now found myself forced by circumstances to join the British Army.

The fort occupies a peninsula with the only land approach blocked by a deep moat that would be a killing ground for any attackers. The sea-facing walls are carefully configured so that all angles of approach are covered by arcs of cannon fire. So even if you could land on the peninsula, you would be picked off before you could assault the walls.

Inside the fort, you can visit rooms in the old barracks which show what living conditions were like for soldiers and officers in the 18th and 19th centuries. The areas open to visitors also include the grand Magazine that houses a vast array of weaponry, and the regimental museum of the Queen’s Own Highlanders.

Children will enjoy exploring the ramparts with their old cannons, and you might get a distant glimpse of dolphins leaping in the Moray Firth. You can spend a lot of time here if you listen to everything on the audio guides, but a walk around the fort and a tour of the regimental museum will easily fill 90 minutes.

Cawdor Castle - 30 mins drive from Inverness:

One of our favourite castles in Scotland, because Cawdor Castle ticks a lot of boxes. It’s got a drawbridge, secret rooms, a resident ghost, and a curious legend about how a donkey chose where it would be built.

The castle remains in the ownership of the Campbells of Cawdor, who still occupy the castle as a family home during the winter months. It is quite rare to find a castle that is still lived in by its historical owners, especially ones that can trace their ownership back to the early 1500’s.

Cawdor is just a 15 minute drive from Culloden, so it’s worth combining with a visit to the battlefield.

Reelig Glen - 20 mins

Travel west from Inverness on the A862 that passes along the south shore of the Beauly Firth, and you soon come to the side road that leads to the Reelig Glen where you will find some of the tallest trees in Scotland.

From the car park, you can start on the “Tall Trees trail” which follows the path of the Moniack Burn into the glen. It’s a gentle walk and a good option for some exercise on a hot summer day, as the forest canopy provides shade that keeps the glen at a comfortable temperature.

The path is punctuated with information boards that ask entertaining questions that adults and kids will enjoy learning. For example, are all red squirrels right-handed?

At the top of the Tall Trees Trail you cross a modern bridge alongside an older moss-covered stone bridge that crosses the river to what looks like ruined walls of a small castle. These structures are both a folly that was built in the 1840’s by Highlanders employed by Lord Fraser so that they had some income during the “Clearances”. It is said that the estate owner, James Fraser, deliberately knocked down stones so that he could extend the workers employment. Good bloke!

Urquhart Castle - 30 mins drive from Inverness:

It’s an obvious tourist attraction, but we have to mention Urquhart Castle because almost everyone who comes to Inverness will want to see Loch Ness, and this castle provides the most iconic backdrop for any photo of Loch Ness.

To be honest, we don’t think the castle ruins merit the admission fee as there’s not a great deal of intact castle left to view. However, we do think the presentation at the visitor centre is very well done, as it explains the strategic role of the castle and ends with a great finale. We’re not going to say anymore as we don’t want to spoil the surprise!

One of the best things about Urquhart Castle is that it is open all year round and only ever closes on the 25 & 26 December.

Dolphin Boat trip from Avoch - 20 mins drive from Inverness:

Of course, there are lots of Loch Ness Boat trip options near Inverness, but if you prefer a boat trip with a better probability of spotting wildlife, we highly recommend the short drive to Avoch on the Black Isle, where you can join a Dolphin Spotting cruise with Gwyn Tanner and his friendly Collie dog.

Gwyn takes you out in a little 12 seater vessel that has a surprising turn off speed. Spud, the dog, acts as a dolphin early warning system, so watch where he’s pointed and you’ll probably be looking in the right direction.

The boat is small and nimble, so Gwyn can get up close to the dolphins that are unperturbed by the boat, and happily swim alongside to give you lots of opportunities for a photo!

Rogie Falls - 33 mins drive from Inverness:

You might manage to get to Rogie Falls in 30 minutes, but we wouldn’t want to encourage you to drive too fast. Fortunately, it is an easy and scenic drive to get to the Rogie Falls, and it lies on the NC500 tour route.

The falls are crossed by a bouncy little footbridge that is suspended over one of the most spectacular sections of the Black Water river. If you visit around July - September, you might get lucky and see some salmon leaping the cascades, but there is a fish ladder near the bridge, and most salmon opt for this easier route to their spawning grounds.

From the car park to the suspension bridge and back will take you about 25 mins, but the return to the car park is a steep climb. If you want to take a longer hike, there is a Riverside trail that you can pick up on the far side of the bridge.

Ben Wyvis - 57 mins drive from Inverness:

If you are a serious hiker looking for a more strenuous walk, you just need to drive another 8 miles along the A835 from the Rogie Falls to get to the car park and starting point for the path up Ben Wyvis (pronounced “Ben Wivis”).

Ben Wyvis is notable as it stands in isolation, so the summit, which is quite flat, gives you wonderful 360 views. On a clear day, you will be able to see from the Black Isle on the east coast across to the distinctive peaks of Torridon and the Fannichs in the west.

There is a good path from the car park that starts with a gentle ascent, but then climbs rapidly via a zig-zag route and a series of large stone steps that make it hard to keep a steady pace. After 90 minutes hiking, you should be near the peak of An Cabar which is the hardest bit of the climb. From An Cabar to the summit of Ben Wyvis, you have a gently undulating traverse of a mountain plateau where the path is less distinct.

The hike up and down with a lunch stop at the summit, took us about 5.5 hours. So, this isn’t a hike for everyone, and you will need hiking boots, food & water, plus clothing that will keep you warm as the summit is very exposed.

Corrimony Chambered Cairn - 42 mins drive from Inverness:

Most people, and especially “Outlander” fans, will know about the Clava Cairns which are a short drive from Culloden. Their proximity to Culloden does mean that they get very busy with tourists seeking a standing stone that they hope will transport them to meet “Jamie Fraser”.

We feel that the Clava Cairns have become a bit too mainstream touristy, so we instead recommend that you travel to the peace and tranquility of the Corrimony Chambered Cairn near Cannich in Strathglass.

Architecturally, Corrimony is like the Clava Cairns but on a smaller scale. The cairn is more complete than the ones at Clava, and you still have a long enclosed entrance tunnel that you have to crawl through to get to the cairn’s inner burial chamber.

Corrimony is located on a side road off the A831 between Drumnadrochit and Cannich. It’s a quiet location and you are likely to have it all to yourself, even in peak tourist season. Spiritual places like this are best experienced when there are no other voices to distract you from connecting with the past. I’m going all “hippie”… time to move on!

Glen Affric - 56 mins drive from Inverness:

If you’ve travelled as far as Corrimony, you should consider heading a little further along Strathglass for a visit to Glen Affric. We find it impossible to pick a favourite place in Scotland, but Glen Affric is certainly in our Top 5.

It’s a special place because it is so unspoilt. Glen Affric is one of the few places in Scotland where you can see a landscape that hasn’t been changed by human activity. It’s home to the last traces of the Great Caledonian Forest that once would have covered every glen in the Highlands.

It’s an enchanting place where you can’t help but feel at peace with the world. You don’t need a psychiatrist, you just need a walk in the Glen Affric forest.

Culbin Forest (Hill 99) - 60 mins drive from Inverness:

Culbin Forest is a very different experience to Glen Affric. It’s a man-made forest with Scots Pine and Corsican Pine planted over a vast area covering more than 9000 acres. This is the sort of forest that you could get lost in for a week.

Fortunately, you can get your bearings in the forest by climbing the tower on Hill 99. The tower is a skeletal structure of steel with several flights of open staircase leading up to a large square viewing platform that is above the tree tops.

The 360 view from this lookout really brings home the vast scale of the forest.

Brodie Castle - 47 mins drive from Inverness:

If you are looking to bag castles, Inverness has an abundance within a day-trip driving radius. Far more than we could cover in this guide, so we have to focus on the ones that are the best tourist experiences. On this basis, Brodie Castle deserves a mention as it is an example of a castle that you feel you could happily move into.

Brodie Castle did remain the ancestral home of the Brodie family up until 1980 when it came under the ownership of the National Trust for Scotland. But a descendant of the Brodie family resided in a wing of the castle up until 2003.

The castle was extended over the centuries, so the original defensive tower house is flanked by wings that are designed more for comfort than conflict. If you are a fan of Downtown Abbey, we think you’ll get a kick out of visiting Brodie Castle as it feels like a stage set for the TV show.

If you are visiting in Spring, then Brodie is especially worth a visit for its displays of daffodils. A former Laird of Brodie had a bit of a passion for daffodils and there are 116 varieties of daffodil grown in the grounds of the Brodie castle estate.

Cromarty & the Cromarty Ferry - 40 mins drive from Inverness:

Cromarty, with its neat streets of Georgian houses, is one of the prettiest villages in Scotland. It’s located near the North East tip of the Black Isle peninsula, so from Inverness you just cross the Kessock Bridge and then take the A832 all the way to the end of the road.

If going to Cromarty, we recommend taking a walk from the town to the “Pirates Graveyard” which you will find by heading south-east from the village centre on the road that goes past the large Cromarty House. The correct name of this historical graveyard is St Regulus Graveyard, but it has a cluster of gravestones bearing skull and crossed bones, hence the “Pirate” nickname.

Cromarty has a couple of museums, some lovely gift shops, cafes, a wonderful old-fashioned bakery, and “Sutor Creek, which is one of the best Pizzerias in the Highlands. It’s an intimate little restaurant and popular, so make sure to book a table in advance.

After a visit to Cromarty, we recommend leaving the town via the little ferry that scoots back and forth between Cromarty and Nigg on the other side of the Cromarty Firth. It is a tiny car ferry that can only take 2 cars at a push, and it only runs from April to September. But for £10 a car and £5 a passenger, you get the novel experience of sailing on Scotland’s smallest car ferry.

Glenmorangie Distillery - 50 mins drive from Inverness:

There are several whisky distilleries within a drive of ~ 1 hour from Inverness; Glen Ord, Ben Romach, Royal Brackla, and now there’s “Uile Bheist, a brand new distillery in the centre of the town.

But Glenmorangie near Tain is the distillery that we recommend for tourists who are unfamiliar with whisky. Glenmorangie is a good introductory whisky for people who haven’t yet developed a palate for the more powerful flavours that come with some single malts. It comes in lots of different “expressions”, but it is generally one of the sweeter and lighter single malts, so it doesn’t assault your taste buds in the way that a peaty Islay malt will.

The particular flavour of Glenmorangie spirit is attributed to their very tall stills that ensure the distillation process only extracts the lightest spirits. Don’t worry about the driver having to miss out on the whisky, the distillery provides drivers with a “goodie” bag of whisky samples to take away for drinking later.

Fyrish Monument - 43 mins drive from Inverness:

If you drive the NC500 route between Tain and Inverness, you might notice a strange structure on the distant skyline of the hills behind Evanton. If you’ve good eyesight, you might be able to make out a series of arches that look like the entrance to some ancient city.

This is the Fyrish Monument, which was constructed in 1782 and financed by a wealthy local landlord, Sir Hector Munro, who had risen to fame through his exploits with the British Army in India. Hector funded this construction project to give employment to the Crofters who had been driven off their land by the Clearances.

The monument is a representation of the Gate of Negapatam, which is a port in the Madras region of India that Sir Hector captured for the British. So, it's essentially something that Hector built to show the world how rich he was and to remind them about his military achievements.

From the monument car park, there is an attractive path that takes you up through woodlands to the exposed hilltop where the monument stands. The hike up and down took us 90 minutes, but it was well worth the effort for the views over the Cromarty Firth and the Black Isle.

How long should I stay in Inverness?

If you are planning to spend 10 to 14 days in Scotland, then we suggest you spend 2 - 3 nights in Inverness to use it as a base for exploring some of the attractions we’ve listed above. But please realise that this is just a small sample of what is possible as day trip activities from Inverness.

If you want more detailed day trip ideas with driving route instructions on how to fit as much as possible into each day, then you should buy our Scenic Flexi tour plan which has plans for 5 day trips from Inverness.

You might also want to watch the video that we did about less conventional tourist attractions in the Loch Ness area.