by Antony J Waller

Created on: December 08, 2010   Last Updated: June 02, 2011

Inverness, the capital of the Scottish Highlands and the northern most city in the British Isles has echoed over the years to the footsteps of St Colomba, Macbeth, Robert the Bruce, Mary Queen of Scots, Oliver Cromwell and Bonnie Prince Charlie.

A historic city in the north east of Scotland a few miles inland from the Moray Firth Inverness sits astride the River Ness at the head of the Great Gen, a geological fault line bisecting Scotland diagonally from north east to south west. It is a popular destination for tourists visiting the Highlands and the north of Scotland.

Tracing its history back over 1500 years, from ancient hilltop fortress built for Pictish kings to the present castle dating from 1834 and  built to house law courts and administrative buildings, Inverness witnessed an industrial boom in the early 1800s with the building of the Caledonian Canal linking east coast to west coast and the later development of the railway to become the capital of the Highlands and the modern city of today.

A vibrant, bustling centre Inverness has all the amenities you would expect of a thriving city. Shops cater for all tastes with a variety of traditional and specialist goods to interest all.  The modern Eastgate Centre includes many well known ‘High Street’ names whilst the nearby Victorian Market Arcade links several busy streets and houses many smaller individual and specialist retailers. The High Street itself is mainly pedestrianised and a pleasant place to wander. A mix of cafes, restaurants, bars and bistros provide tasty cuisine to tempt all palates from traditional Scottish dishes to worldwide fare. The nightlife is equally varied with a wide choice from pubs and bars offering music and live entertainment, to the Eden Court Theatre and Cinema complex. A warm Highland welcome and true Scottish hospitality awaits visitors looking to stay with a range of accommodation from luxury hotels, smaller hotels, guest houses, B & Bs and self catering establishments available to suit all.

Inverness is a compact city and much can be seen and visited on foot. There are delightful riverside walks along the banks of the River Ness including the Ness Islands, a park formed by wooded islands connected by bridges. St Andrew’s Cathedral and many impressive Victorian buildings also line the river banks. The Museum and Art Gallery provides an interesting insight into the history and heritage of the area and with exhibits of contemporary local arts and crafts.

The city makes an ideal base to tour the surrounding area. To the south lie the mountains of the Caingorms, whilst to the east the Black Isle, the Moray Firth and a colony of bottle nosed dolphins, and of course not forgetting to the south west The Great Glen and Loch Ness. Attractions and places to visit include the battlefield of Culloden and museum to the Jacobite Rising, nearby Fort George built in 1745 with its massive artillery defences and regimental museum of the Queen’s Own Highlanders and Cawdor Castle home of Shakespear’s Macbeth, to name but a few.

Inverness bids you ‘Cead mile failte, a hundred thousand welcomes, you will not be disappointed.

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