If you are limited on time in the Scottish highlands, Inverness is a great spot to base yourself to explore the area. Find an affordable lodging option, Hostelworld and AirBnB are great places to start, settle in and take some day trips to explore!
There are some great places to visit in Inverness which can be reached by foot. Your hotel/hostel/Airbnb host can often provide you with a city map.
Be sure to check out:
The Steeple (Located at 8 Bridge St, Inverness IV1 1HD, UK)
Stroll along the River Ness
There are tours of the highlands that you can take which can maximize the sites you can see in a single day. This is a great option if you are short on time or don’t want the worry of figuring out transit routes. Regardless of the method you use for getting to these places, here are some day trips that you can easily do from Inverness.
Urquhart Castle – Over 1000 years of history runs through this area, first the site of a Pictish fort, then a Medieval stronghold and ultimately ending up in ruins when the soldiers of the first Jacobite rising blew it up as they left her walls in 1692.
Cawdor Castle & Gardens – Cawdor Castle dates from the late 14th century, built as a private fortress by the Thanes of Cawdor. An ancient medieval tower built around the legendary holly tree. [ (c) Cawdor Castle Website]
Beauly Piory – Founded around 1230 for the monks of the Valliscaulian from Dijon, France. Beauly Piory is one of three priories founded for the order.
Loch Ness – A freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands, known for the popular lore of the Loch Ness Monster, Nessie!
Castle Stuart – Granted to James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, by his half-sister, Mary Queen of Scots in 1561, the castle was not completed until 1625 by James Stuart, the 3rd Earl of Moray. Currently being used a luxury hotel.
Clava Cairns – The remains of a 4000 year old cemetery. Prehistoric burial monuments.
Culloden Battlefield & Visitor Centre – The site of the final battle of the Jacobite uprising of 1745. It was in this field that around 1,500 men were slain in less than an hour, about 1,000 of them Jacobite supporters of restoring the Stuart monarchy to the Scottish throne. The visitor center houses artifacts recovered from the battlefield as well as interactive displays. (Clava Cairns is located nearby, so both can be seen on one day trip.)
Check out Rabbie’s, The Hebridean Explorer, Highland Experience, Go Scotland, and Inverness Tours for a list of the day trips they provide from Inverness.
“Keep your heart open, a suitcase packed and travel often for the world is wide and adventure awaits.” ~ Emylee
Emylee & Katie outside of Culloden Battlefield
The Voyagers' Pen 