Inverness or invermoristan

Having done the RS Scotland a few years ago, Inverness stands out as the one city I really did not care for. Although it is nice right by the river, the city had a somewhat gritty feeling. There is some kind of rendering plant right next to the city, and we had the misfortune of staying right next to it...the smell was pretty unbearable. The countryside around Inverness is beautiful and since you are just looking for a base, I would opt for something outside of Inverness. You can always drive into town for an hour or two to see it and then be on your way.

We stayed in Invermorriston (Tigh na Bruach) in June. The location was excellent-easy access to the roads heading towards Glen Affric, Urquhart Castle, and around to the south side of the Loch for the Wade Bridge, Culloden, and Clava Cairns. (Don't miss the Clootie Well on the Black Isle for a surreal sight.) Fort Augustus is only ten minutes away and it has several restaurants. Inverness is useful if you need to shop and the walk along the river is pleasant. But it's also a maze of one-way streets.

We stayed in Inverness at Ardgarry B&B.-http://www.bedandbreakfast-directory.co.uk/info.asp?id=33242. Gracious hosts. Went way beyond what was necessary. It is a 10 minute walk to Johnny Fox Pub, wonderful trad music every night, 10 minutes to the laundry, 10 minutes to the grocery store. Wonderful location. We used Inverness as a base and drove to some sites in the surrounding country, and took a bus to others-bus/boat ride to Lock Ness and Urquhart Castle was easier than driving.

I like Inverness. Of course, there is more grit to it. The people who live and work in Inverness aren't all connected with tourism. That's part of its appeal to me. If you want to have access to evening events then I would stay in Inverness. As the previous poster mentioned there are multiple pubs with live music and many restaurants. The downside is the traffic in and out. While nothing like one faces in the really big cities, the locals wish it would go away. ; ) Invermoristan looks very nice on Undiscovered Scotland. Your evening social life will be centered on the Glenmoriston Arms Hotel as I think it's the only option for food and drink. But that might be wonderful. Check out reviews on Tripadvisor. Pam

I agree with Pamela that Inverness is a "real" city- and that is part of what I like about it. We don't drive when we visit the UK. Inverness has good rail and bus service, is very walkable and has a GREAT Tourist Information bureau. There are lots of day trips to choose from that are run by local tour companies, and many places you can reach by local bus service. We've found some good resturants and love to stay at the Royal Highland Hotel. It is not a budget hotel, but is attached to the rail station, has a lovely lobby (it was used in the movie Titanic) and rooms are of a good quality. Over the years we've meet and made life-long friends in Inverness.

Thank you for your prompt comments, friends.
I'm leaning towards Invermoriston but am still keen to visit Inverness. Should be able to drive in and even have dinner there. We will be staying in several city centres and thought this might be a place to take a breath.

Our group of 4 enjoyed our two days in Inverness and felt it was a great location. We had just been in Skye (Portree) and drove to Inverness, stopping at several castles. We enjoyed walking around the city and the fact it is a working, living place. I'd say go for it!