Inverness

INVERNESS
Nestled within possibly the most spectacular area of the UK, Inverness is an enigma, an ancient settlement with a significant place in history that appears, for all intents and purposes, to be a thoroughly modern city. The reason for the puzzle lies in the historic Highland/Lowland conflict, of which Inverness took the brunt. It’s frontier location led to the City being burned to the ground by Clan Donald at least seven times, not to mention Bonnie Prince Charlie winning round eight and destroying the fort in 1745.

A City literally forced to move with the times, Inverness has somehow managed to sustain the innate strength of character and bounce back time after time. There is a definite ‘buzz’ around the city centre. The busy shopping areas offer both modern chain stores in the newly developed Eastgate Centre and smaller privately owned outlets in the older part of town. The choice of fine restaurants is such, you can literally eat from the four corners of the world and the pub scene is vibrant and friendly. There are numerous late night spots to choose from if you want to see the early hours, and entertainment ranges from the traditional ‘Scottish Showtime’ to drama at the Eden Court Theatre to live music at one of the many live venues.

Being in The Capitol of The Highlands you are never too far away from Scotland’s great outdoors and more importantly that internationally notorious place of legends, Loch Ness. But it isn’t all about ‘Nessie’ spotting. Along with the nearby Moray Firth, this is one of Scotland’s favourite destinations for the yachting and boating fraternity. These wide-open waters offer excellent, often challenging conditions and there are plentiful natural anchorages and berths to be found. The Loch is a popular haunt for keen anglers and both stretches of water are Meccas for windsurfers. Back on shore there are countless opportunities to enjoy the magnificent countryside – walking, mountaineering, rock climbing, river canoeing, quad biking, cycling, horse riding – you will quite literally never run out of options.

Entertaining, exhilarating and thoroughly enjoyable. You can expect all three from a visit to Inverness and you’ll still only really have scratched the surface.