I'm looking at staying in the Craigside Lodge in Inverness Scotland per Steve's guidebook, but was wondering if anyone has any experience staying here? Thanks!
Hey, April! Me too on Inverness. I'm having trouble getting a sense of what's good there. I've also heard that it's a place that could be skipped all together...although the bus tours from Inverness look good. What have you heard?
Jan,
I actually checked tripadvisor & found nothing but great reviews for the Craigside Lodge. I went ahead & sent them a booking request. Seeing Loch Ness is a must for me & Inverness looks like the logical place to stay. We prefer to stay in town versus the countryside since we won't have a car. There is also a day tour company that takes you to see Loch Ness from Inverness that we're looking at using. Here's a link if you're interested.
Do NOT skipp Inverness. It is about my favorite place in Scotland. There is Cullodean Battlefield, Clava Cairnes, Loch Ness and the river, the firth, victorian shopping arcades,etc. AND LOTS of great day trips: Elliean Donnan castle, Isle of Skye, Orkney, Blair Atholl and its castle, Arundale gardens, .... the list just goes on and on. There are distilleries within touring distance, Ft. William, Ft. Agustus, hikes and walks, lovely waterfalls and rivers, not mention heatbreaking, breathtaking moutains and lochs! Walk along the river and feel the peace... experience the "sense" of the Highlands.
Thanks to you both! I just sent a request to Craigside and am eager to go to Inverness once more. A few naysayers got to me.
I, too, heard that both the Jacobite and the Scottish Tour were good. Seeing Colloden (and Glencoe some day) is high on my list.
Blessings Travelers!
inverness is great! This is a place where people live! And you can enjoy the theater, music, food in a lively small city/large town. This is the capital of the highlands. There are enough local sites-Culloden Field, Cawdor Castle, Clava Cairns, Fort George, Dolphin boat trips on the Moray Firth--to keep any tourist happy. And on top of that you'll get a notion of what it's like to live in the highlands. There is a small mall. ; )
Pam
We are going to Inverness this summer. One of the people I met thru this site recommended St. Ann's Guesthouse ([email protected]). Have been e-mailing back and forth with the owner who has been very helpful with trip planning. It also got good reviews on Trip Advisor.
I'm headed there this summer and found a lovely little farm right on Loch Ness. As a matter of fact, the family is of the Urquhart Castle line.
http://www.loch-ness-farm.co.uk/
Drumnbuie Farm and Caroline is very nice. Looks to me like a very nice location to get to Inverness as well as Ft. Augustus and Ft. William/Glencoe.
Don't miss the Clava Cairns below Culloden Battlefield. This is an ancient site- no entry fee or guide, but plenty of info markers and very peaceful.I didn't have a car either and I took the bus for Culloden and walked down the hill (about 15 min each way) It was one of my best experiences.
I'll second Diane's comment about the Clava Cairns. I also liked Fort George. Wonderful views of the Moray Firth and interesting history in an active fort. Cawdor Castle is also very interesting and the gardens are beautiful. Lastly, if you're looking for a nice day walking, Culbin Sands are quite nice and the rain seems to always dodge it. I don't know how many times we've seen rain everywhere, but Culbin.
Pam