Travelogue: Inverness, Scotland
9 November, 2024
Let’s travel back in time…. again 😉.
From Portree, in the Isle of Skye, hop on the A87 south, which swings east, then turn north on the A82, this will get you to Inverness. On this part of the journey, I had two days planned in Inverness. One stop I’d hoped to make was at a farm where you can hang out with Highland Cows, but with the timing, I wasn’t able to. As they were closed on the days I was there!
I decided to visit Urquhart Castle, a popular stop on the way to Inverness. I’ve been there once before, back in 2015, but on that trip, I took a cruise from Inverness to the Castle.
Urquhart Castle sits right on Loch Ness. Urquhart was built in 1230, passing from both English and Scottish ownership over the centuries. In the late 1600s, it was intentionally blown up to prevent it from being used as a military stronghold.
From there it fell into decay, after storm damage in the early 1700’s. Over time it passed into state care and is now one of the most visited castles in Scotland.
There’s a small fee to enter the area, and if you think you may visit a few castles in Scotland, like Urquhart, Edinburgh and Stirling castles. There’s a pass you can get that will save you a little money.
Once you’ve entered you can walk down the hill, towards the ruins and Loch Ness. Much of the ruins can be accessed, including stairwells to capture higher views of the scenery.
After a little time at Urquhart, I headed into Inverness. I’ve been to Inverness a couple of times over the years, it’s considered the Capital of the Highlands.
I stayed at a bed and breakfast, just a couple of blocks from the River Ness. This area offers all the shops and restaurants you could need for your stay.
One of my favorite things to do is walk along the banks of the River Ness, taking in the blended views of houses, the castle, the river, trees, and of course a little people-watching.
If you walk along the bank of the river you’ll be able to access footbridges in either direction to get to the other side. A good walk is to walk towards Ness Bridge, then turn onto Ardross Terrace, towards the Infirmary Bridge, cross over to Great Glen Way, and back towards Ness Bridge. Once back at the bridge you can cross and continue to the next bridge, and make a loop. Or you could take a right at the bridge, this will put you in the center of shops and restaurants.
Inverness is very walkable, it’s probably easier to walk through the downtown areas if you can. I parked my car at my B&B so that I’d not deal with trying to find parking, as well, as paying for parking. A good excuse to get those steps in!
If you are a coffee lover, check out Birch. It’s right on the main drag and offers a great cup of coffee. I also had a nice cup of coffee at Grain and Grind.
The views are beautiful. Worth a visit if you’re ever in Scotland.
This visit to Inverness was halfway through a 2-week road trip throughout Scotland. I’m still working on images and posts to share more of the journey, so stay tuned.