Inverness & Loch Ness

Inverness is the capital of the Highlands; from here you can hunt for the "monster" at Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness, and visit the Culloden battlefield, the Cairngorms and the Speyside whisky region.

Inverness is the capital of the Scottish Highlands, where the River Ness flows into the Moray Firth. It has an airport and train links to Edinburgh and Glasgow, making it the transport and accommodation hub for exploring the northern Highlands. Using Inverness as a base, you can head south and circle Loch Ness: on the west shore are Urquhart Castle and the Loch Ness Centre in Drumnadrochit; at the southern end, Fort Augustus has a flight of canal locks; on the east shore are the Falls of Foyers and Dores Beach. To the east lie Culloden Battlefield, Clava Cairns, Cawdor Castle, Fort George and Brodie Castle. To the north, on the Black Isle, you can watch bottlenose dolphins from the shore at Chanonry Point. To the west, Glen Affric and Plodda Falls are prime autumn-colour spots. About 40 minutes to the southeast, Aviemore is the gateway to Cairngorms National Park, where you can see reindeer, ride a steam train and hike around the lochs, and it extends into the Speyside whisky region. We recommend staying 3–5 days; driving is the most convenient, though buses and day tours also serve the town centre, Culloden and Loch Ness. The best season is May–Sep, with long days and castles and gardens open; in winter many attractions close for the season, but Aviemore offers skiing. Highland weather is changeable, so always carry rain gear and insect repellent (midges are numerous in summer). Many country roads are single-track, so give way at passing places.

Top sights

• Loch Ness & Urquhart Castle – A long, deep lake shrouded in tales of a monster; the ruins of Urquhart Castle on its shore are the best place to view Loch Ness.
• Culloden Battlefield – The 1746 battlefield where the Jacobites made their last stand; the visitor center has an immersive battle cinema and is a pilgrimage site…
• Clava Cairns – A Bronze Age burial site about 4,000 years old, with three cairns ringed by standing stones; widely believed to have inspired the stone cir…
• Chanonry Point – A sandspit on the Black Isle that reaches into the Moray Firth, and one of the best places in Britain to watch wild bottlenose dolphins fro…
• Inverness – Inbhir Nis is the Highland capital and transport hub, with the River Ness flowing through it and serving as the base for visiting Loch Ness…
• Cawdor Castle – Caisteal Chaladair is a medieval castle linked to the title Thane of Cawdor in Macbeth, still owned by the Cawdor family, with beautiful ga…
• Fort Augustus Locks – A small village at the southern end of Loch Ness, where the five-stage lock staircase of the Caledonian Canal runs through the village, let…
• Fort George – A giant star-shaped fortress built after the Battle of Culloden, still an active army barracks, with dolphins in the Moray Firth visible fr…
• Falls of Foyers – A waterfall in a gorge on the southeastern shore of Loch Ness, praised in verse by the poet Robert Burns, viewable from upper and lower pla…
• The Loch Ness Centre – A Loch Ness-themed exhibition in Drumnadrochit that tells the story of the monster legend and decades of scientific searches.
• Dores Beach – A pebble beach at the northeastern end of Loch Ness, with views along the lake's length; a favorite spot for locals searching for the monst…
• Glen Affric – Often called Scotland's most beautiful glen, where ancient Caledonian pine forests, lochs and mountains intertwine, with several hiking tra…
• Plodda Falls – A 46-meter waterfall hidden among tall Douglas firs, with a Victorian-style cantilevered viewing platform jutting out above the falls.
• Beauly Priory – A 13th-century priory ruin beside the square of the town of Beauly, its walls standing among elm trees, quiet and timeless.
• Rogie Falls – A waterfall on the River Black Water, crossed by a suspension footbridge, where salmon can be seen leaping upstream in late summer and earl…
• Brodie Castle – The ancestral home of the Brodie family, a 16th-century tower house famous for its daffodil collection and its family-friendly “Fun Garden.”
• Fairy Glen, Rosemarkie – A forested glen trail on the Black Isle that follows a stream through a mossy woodland to two waterfalls, an easy stroll for the whole fami…
• Tomatin Distillery – A Highland single malt whisky distillery about 25 km south of Inverness that was once one of Scotland's largest producers, offering tours a…
• Glenmorangie Distillery – A renowned single malt distillery in Tain, home to Scotland's tallest stills, where visitors can tour and sample a range of Glenmorangie wh…
• Dunrobin Castle – The largest residence in the northern Highlands, a fairy-tale French-style château with orderly gardens facing the sea and falconry display…
• Highland Folk Museum – One of Britain's earliest open-air museums, recreating 18th-century Highland thatched villages; it also served as a filming location for Ou…
• Glenfiddich Distillery – A flagship Speyside whisky distillery run by the same family since 1887, and a must-visit stop on the Speyside Malt Whisky Trail.
• Bealach na Bà – A famous mountain road on the western stretch of the North Coast 500, climbing from sea level to 630 m within 6 km, with views of Skye from…
• Smoo Cave – A giant sea cave beside the village of Durness on Scotland's northernmost coast, carved by seawater and freshwater together, with a waterfa…

Where to eat

• River House – A cozy seafood restaurant by the River Ness, famous for its seafood claypots and oyster happy hours, highly rated on Tr…
• Rocpool Restaurant – A modern restaurant on the banks of the River Ness, opened in 2002 and featured in the Michelin Guide, specializing in…
• The Mustard Seed – A modern Scottish restaurant housed in a converted church on the banks of the River Ness, featuring Highland ingredient…
• Fiddlers Highland Restaurant – A family-run restaurant in the village of Drumnadrochit, famous for its haggis, venison, and hundreds of whiskies.
• The Loch Ness Inn Restaurant – A country inn restaurant in Lewiston using local Highland ingredients, located close to Urquhart Castle and perfect for…

Itineraries

• Classic Highlands and Isle of Skye Loop – Depart from Edinburgh and loop clockwise through the Highlands via Glencoe, the Isle of Skye, Loch Ness, and Pitlochry.
• North Coast 500 Anticlockwise Loop – Drive the NC500 anticlockwise from Inverness, taking in Bealach na Bà, Assynt, the north coast, and east coast castles.
• London to the Highlands: 10-Day Rail Journey – Take the train north from London to York and Edinburgh, ride the West Highland Line to Skye, and finish in Inverness.