Things to do in and around Inverness

Suggest looking at a good Scotland guide and some of the videos on this site. Here are some of my notes from my trip report of my time in Scotland in 2022

“Highlights Inverness: Exploring the city and lovely walk along the River Ness, visiting a city cemetery/church where I found some ancestors, turned out prisoners from Culloden battlefield were incarcerated and executed here. Day tour with Rabbies to Clava Cairns, Culloden, and Glen Afric. I have to commend the guide for this tour. Amy clearly loves Scotland and telling the stories of the highlanders. She described the history of Culloden and Clava Cairns while also weaving in bits and pieces of Diana Gabaldon’s epic story of the clans of Scotland and their beliefs and ideals. I loved placing my flowers (traditional thistle with white carnations) at one of the gravestones on the Culloden battlefield. Later that evening, I reflected on my day with a pint and traditional live music at the Geillions Bar.

Recommended restaurants : Mustard Seed (creamy leek potato soup, perfect fish), Hootenanny (my first steak and ale pie) delicious”

If there ae 14 of you--am I reading correctly?--then you might consider hiring a driver/guide with a minibus.

I would suggest contacting a tour company like Rabbies who offer numerous tours out of Inverness but will also create a private tour just for your group. The maximum their mini buses hold is 16 so your group would fit perfectly.

Culloden Battlefield with Clave Cairns work well together.

There is also Fort George, the most amazing military construction built after the Battle of Culloden to control the Highlands and crush any future Jacobite rebellions. It remains one of the largest and most impregnable fortifications in Europe. (It is still used by the military today.)

When Fort George was finally completed, well behind schedule and well over budget - things don’t change! - the Highlands were relatively calm and no action was ever required from Fort George. There is a story, may be apocryphal, that one shot was fired by a jittery soldier on night duty who thought he saw a Jacobite soldier creeping up to the fort and fired at him. Next morning the guards found the dead body of a cow....

It is a marvellous setting on a promontory jutting out into the Moray Firth, with superb views across to the Black Isle and the lighthouse at Chanonry Point. Keep your eyes open as this is one of the best places to spot the bottle nose dolphins.

Glen Affric is one of the least well known glens so receives few visitors. This is a shame as scenically it is one of the prettiest. You could tie it in with a visit to Urquhart Castle or a boat trip on Loch Ness.

There is also Dunrobin Castle - a bit further to drive - and the ancestral home of the Dukes of Sutherland. Not only is the castle itself magnificent it is surrounded by lovely gardens and also has a daily falconry display.

I agree with the suggestion to take a day tour with Rabbies to Clava Cairns, Culloden, and Glen Afric. Trying to do them on your own would take too much time and effort, IMO. We visited just Culloden, and would have liked to stay longer. It happened to be a very rainy afternoon, so we mostly stayed inside the visitor centre, which is excellent.

If you're going on Rabbie's tour to Culloden, make sure it also visits Dunnottar Castle. That was the highlight of the tour for us. Stunning.

We've spent a fair amount of time in Inverness; we love the city. Walking along the River Ness and the Caledonian Canal are terrific ways to see natural beauty, especially crossing over the foot bridges to the Ness Islands from Island Bank Road (also a lovely walk). Gaelic music at Hootenanny, pizza and beer at Black Isle, absolutely first rate cuisine at Mustard Seed and the River House (though the latter won't accommodate a group of 14; it's a very small restaurant). But get reservations at these two places well in advance, as they fill up quickly. And a visit to the botanic gardens is never mentioned in the tourist guides, but it's a great way to spend an hour or two.

Have a great time!

I recommend visiting the ruins of Urquhart Castle! I love ruins because they are mysterious and you have to use your imagination. Urquhart is also located on Loch Ness.

Another castle near Inverness is Cawdor Castle. The interior is interesting and the gardens are gorgeous!