{"id":1387,"date":"2019-11-04T09:53:22","date_gmt":"2019-11-04T09:53:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/travel\/?p=1387"},"modified":"2020-12-13T20:25:53","modified_gmt":"2020-12-13T20:25:53","slug":"the-five-minute-spare-guide-to-inverness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/travel\/the-five-minute-spare-guide-to-inverness\/","title":{"rendered":"The Five Minute Spare Guide to Inverness"},"content":{"rendered":"

Inverness: a Five Minute Tour<\/span><\/h1>\n
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Greig Street Bridge Spans the River Ness in Inverness
Image: Susanne Pommer\/Shutterstock.com<\/p><\/div>\n

Inverness is the actual capital of the Highlands. It might not say that on any official documentation \u2013 but it\u2019s the Highland capital. To those of us down here in the central belt there is only Fort William after Inverness\u2026 and the North Coast 500<\/a>, of course.<\/p>\n

Inverness is opposite the West Highland Way on the map. When you actually drive up there you go via the A9<\/a>. 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\u2026 and the badgers, foxes, hedgehogs, pheasants\u2026 you get the idea.<\/p>\n

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 \u2013 but it\u2019s so worth it.<\/p>\n

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 \u2018country holdings\u2019. You will see them scattered everywhere outside of the city. It is the former site of the Battle of Culloden<\/a> and actual home to the real \u2018King\u2019 Macbeth, who Shakespeare based the play on.<\/p>\n

A Little Inverness History<\/h2>\n

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We couldn\u2019t possibly cover the best things to do in Inverness without including a tiny slice of history. This city was used as a Pict Stronghold<\/a> in 565 AD. It\u2019s so old the original city is three or four layers down by now. The Castle in Inverness was built by Malcolm the third\u2026 that\u2019s 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\u2019s son, so you can imagine how he responded to his father\u2019s murder.<\/p>\n

Who knew the Scottish Play<\/a> was real?<\/p>\n

Interestingly enough, this area is where the famed battle between the Campbells<\/a> and the MacDonalds<\/a> was bred. King Mael Coluim<\/a> 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\u2026 the MacDonalds.<\/p>\n

In the years that followed Clan Campbell became the King\u2019s \u2018hunting dogs\u2019. Other clans hated the power they were given. Over generations, this contempt grew until the horrible conflict at Glencoe\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2026but that is another story altogether.<\/p>\n

Inverness at-a-Glance<\/h2>\n

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So if you were in this astonishingly ancient Scottish city for a day or two, what are the top sights you should see? Don\u2019t panic, just keep reading. Here at Five Minutes Spare, we\u2019ve always got you covered for local guides.<\/p>\n

Inverness Castle<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Inverness

Image Credit Natalia Paklina\/Shutterstock.com<\/p><\/div>\n

Inverness castle costs a little admission but it\u2019s worth it just for the viewpoint on the roof. It offers mountainous valleys inland, outland views to the sea, and it\u2019s the only place you can see all of the city at once. Have a walk around the nearby Victorian Marketplace, enjoy the 18th-century\u00a0castle grounds, or do some shopping in the posh end of town.<\/p>\n

The view behind the castle includes Inverness Golf Club<\/a>, for those that are inclined.<\/p>\n

Inverness Museum and Art Gallery<\/a><\/p>\n

The museum is a pretty spectacular building architecture-wise, even if you don\u2019t 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 caf\u00e9 because it wants to make some money.<\/p>\n

The North Coast 500<\/a> \u2013 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\u2026 but if there is one thing you do in Inverness (even though it\u2019s five days, not five minutes) make it this!<\/p>\n

The Eden Court Theatre<\/a><\/p>\n

This is such a quaint little building it\u2019s just lovely. Inverness is actually filled with different types of architecture, hodgepodge styles and mixed up stone work. It\u2019s like a tie-dye city that\u2019s 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\u2019s another place that always has something different on offer.<\/p>\n

Fort George<\/a><\/p>\n

After Bonnie Prince<\/a> 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\u2019re paraphrasing but the intention behind the fort was all-too-real. Inverness needed \u2018managed\u2019. King George built a fort, manned it, and left them to it.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s own king with the intention of being used against Scotland\u2019s own people.<\/p>\n

Regardless of the haunting history behind it, Fort George is the top-rated attraction in Inverness on trip advisor. It\u2019s sad, it\u2019s a little empty, it hurts to be there\u2026 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\u2019t be sad about it.<\/p>\n

Other Inverness Notable Attractions<\/h2>\n

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Inverness has packed a lot of attractions into its history and \u2013 frankly \u2013 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:<\/p>\n