Inverness: a Five Minute Tour
Greig Street Bridge Spans the River Ness in Inverness
Image: Susanne Pommer/Shutterstock.com
Inverness is the actual capital of the Highlands. It might not say that on any official documentation – but it’s the Highland capital. To those of us down here in the central belt there is only Fort William after Inverness… and the North Coast 500, of course.
Inverness is opposite the West Highland Way on the map. When you actually drive up there you go via the A9. This is honest-to-goodness the death trap of all roads. There is a pile-up weekly. Go easy, take your time, watch out for the deer and the goats… and the badgers, foxes, hedgehogs, pheasants… you get the idea.
Inverness is a bit isolated but really worth the long haul trek to get there. The East Coast roads are some of the best country drives in the Western World. Everything north of Pitlochry will take your breath away. You come over a hill on the A9 and the Cairngorms open up ahead of you and you feel like an ant – but it’s so worth it.
Inverness is the seat of the Highland Council area. It is quite a wealthy city. The Highlands of Scotland have almost as many foreign residents as it does Scottish and the wealthy flock here for ‘country holdings’. You will see them scattered everywhere outside of the city. It is the former site of the Battle of Culloden and actual home to the real ‘King’ Macbeth, who Shakespeare based the play on.
A Little Inverness History
We couldn’t possibly cover the best things to do in Inverness without including a tiny slice of history. This city was used as a Pict Stronghold in 565 AD. It’s so old the original city is three or four layers down by now. The Castle in Inverness was built by Malcolm the third… that’s the same one who was the husband to Queen Margaret, who phased out Gaelic in the Scottish courts. Malcolm also happened to be King Duncan’s son, so you can imagine how he responded to his father’s murder.
Who knew the Scottish Play was real?
Interestingly enough, this area is where the famed battle between the Campbells and the MacDonalds was bred. King Mael Coluim gave his name to the great heads of clan Campbell, who became Collins and Coluims forever after. Inverness was subject to raids from the Western Isles all throughout their medieval years. These raids came mainly from one specific clan… the MacDonalds.
In the years that followed Clan Campbell became the King’s ‘hunting dogs’. Other clans hated the power they were given. Over generations, this contempt grew until the horrible conflict at Glencoe…
…but that is another story altogether.
Inverness at-a-Glance
So if you were in this astonishingly ancient Scottish city for a day or two, what are the top sights you should see? Don’t panic, just keep reading. Here at Five Minutes Spare, we’ve always got you covered for local guides.
Image Credit Natalia Paklina/Shutterstock.com
Inverness castle costs a little admission but it’s worth it just for the viewpoint on the roof. It offers mountainous valleys inland, outland views to the sea, and it’s the only place you can see all of the city at once. Have a walk around the nearby Victorian Marketplace, enjoy the 18th-century castle grounds, or do some shopping in the posh end of town.
The view behind the castle includes Inverness Golf Club, for those that are inclined.
Inverness Museum and Art Gallery
The museum is a pretty spectacular building architecture-wise, even if you don’t actually go inside. They regularly showcase local Scottish artists, host different collections and exhibitions throughout the year, and always provide you with a different experience. If you want a taste of the Scottish arts scene it has it in spade. If also has a gift shop and a café because it wants to make some money.
The North Coast 500 – we already mentioned this. Hire a car, take a week, and drive from Inverness around the top coastline. Camp under the stars or stop at hotels… but if there is one thing you do in Inverness (even though it’s five days, not five minutes) make it this!
This is such a quaint little building it’s just lovely. Inverness is actually filled with different types of architecture, hodgepodge styles and mixed up stone work. It’s like a tie-dye city that’s been re-worked again and again every time styles change. The Eden Court is a great example of this. As an added bonus you can catch a show or just have a drink at the bar. It’s another place that always has something different on offer.
After Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobite army were defeated at Culloden, King George II built a huge panic room, slapped it on an island, and hid there in case they came back again. We’re paraphrasing but the intention behind the fort was all-too-real. Inverness needed ‘managed’. King George built a fort, manned it, and left them to it.
Fort George is one of the largest collections of cannon and medieval arms in all of Europe. What is absolutely terrifying about it is that it was built by Scotland’s own king with the intention of being used against Scotland’s own people.
Regardless of the haunting history behind it, Fort George is the top-rated attraction in Inverness on trip advisor. It’s sad, it’s a little empty, it hurts to be there… but everyone should see it. The kids like the ammunition and weapons, they like climbing on the cannons. If you take them young, at least they won’t be sad about it.
Other Inverness Notable Attractions
Inverness has packed a lot of attractions into its history and – frankly – we are running out of space. If you happen to be in the area for any longer than a day or two, here are some other things you should see:
- The River Ness – you can’t miss it, it runs straight through town and you can sail on it.
- The Inverness Botanic Gardens – there’s only so much that will grow this far north…
- Inverness Cathedral – for those that love religious sights.
- We could go on, but we suggest seeing this page on Trip Advisor for more.
Inverness Cathedral (St. Andrew’s) is the northernmost one on mainland Britain.
Image: Francesco Bonino/Shutterstock.com
Still Got Five Minutes Left?
If you still have five minutes free then you can learn plenty of things from our pages. Go on… Indulge.
