2023 The Highlands, Scotland
Where to stay? We stayed in an AirBnB near city center
- steps from Bus station
- steps from Grocery
- steps from all the things in the city
Getting from the airport to your abode
- Download the Inverness City Taxis app and prebook your rides. You pay at the end of the ride via cash or card. There’s no Uber or Lyft. The bus system is reliable!
Money
- Card for everything except additional tips for your tour guides
- At restaurants, if you want to leave additional tip (10-15%) then you must tell them before your card is run - they won’t ask!
Meals
- Most places don't open for breakfast until 9am or 10am!
- Red sauce is ketchup
- Inverness is small and can get busy. Get reservations for dinner, esp on Fri/Sat nights
DAY 1 SETTLE
I was welcomed into Scotland by a huge seagull swooping over my shoulder and grabbing the piece of dried mango out of my hand. Our taxi picked us up and we were on our way to our Bnb.
We grabbed food and cocktails at Scotch & Rye, did a grocery store run, then nested & rested a bit. In May, the sun rises around 5am and doesn’t set until 9-10pm. It never gets fully dark!
DAY 2 EXPLORE
As you can imagine, when the sun rises at 5am, it’s pretty easy to rise early as well. My favorite thing to do on the first day(s) of a trip is to take a walking tour. But first, morning walks and breakfast!
Walked along River Ness to the Ness Islands
They experimented with planting various non native trees like Redwoods and others to see what could grow in the climate. The islands are filled with huge, old trees.
Breakfast at Rendezvous Cafe
A proper full english breakfast, only vegetarian!
11:30 walking tour
History, churches, graveyards, flowering blossom trees
2:30 biking tour
Gray herons, locks, swinging bridges, canals, botanical gardens
5pm beer at the new Uile Bheist brewery - Inverness’s new & only brewery
6pm dinner at MacGregor’s
fresh mussels
fish stew
fish & chips
Nessie’s Monster Mash beer
Learnings:
Mac = Scottish
Mc = Irish
Unicorn is Scotlands national animal
There are no squirrels in Scotland (I mean, there are..but are there?…)
A lot of things “used to be a church”
Step count: 27,609
DAY 3 DAY TRIP
Day trip of local-ish areas!
Boat ride on the deep and dark waters of Loch Ness, home of Nessy
A visit to Urquhart Castle and views all around
A cute lunch & a Thistly Cross cider in the small town of Beauly
A whisky tasting
Kilt sitings
Culloden battlefield & history
Clava Claims
Viaduct
Dinner at Fig & Thistle & cool light coming thru the tunnel back to home.
DAY 4 CULTURE & FOOD
Today is more exploration of the city, shops, and good eatin’! It was the coldest day so far, but perfect for popping in and out of shops.
To build up an appetite we walked to the Ness Islands again (and we will do it again - its a magical walk). It’s about a 4 mile walk out and back.
11am - The Bakery - for a scone and a drink
Pop into Leakey’s bookstore. The largest 2nd hand bookstore in the UK inside what used to be a church.
A stop by the oldest secular building in town, the Abertarff House - built in 1593.
1:00 bouji lunch at Rocpool
Inverness Museum & Art Gallery
Bunny spotting by the Inverness Castle
6:00 dinner at the Mustard Seed (which used to be a Church) for a pre-theatre meal
Neighborhood walks around the “top of the hill” & gorgeous golden light on the way home around 8:30pm.
Step count: 29,667
DAY 5 DAY TRIP
Our longest day! 8am-8pm - and an insanely warm and sunny day.
Loch Ness views
Harry coos (highland cows!)
Eilean Donan Castle (people still live here)
Isle of Skye
Portree for fish & chips
Insane views
All the sheep
Isle of Skye Brewing Co
DAY 6 ANIMALS & BEER
Another perfectly warm and sunny day! Our most uncertain day.
Breakfast at Artysans
Shopping at TK Maxx
Walk to the Nature Reserve out and back
Otter spotting!
Pizza & suurs in the secret garden of Black Isle Bar
Head to Chanonry Point / Beach in Black Isle
Seal spotting!
Scenic bus ride home (almost getting stranded in Black Isle)
Dinner at The Kitchen Brasserie
*Note: Black Isle does have a wonderful brewery but public transportation can’t get you there. It was basically the only thing we did on this trip that would have required a car.
DAY 7 HEAD HOME
Cheers!
THINGS FOR NEXT TIME
Black Isle Brewing
Dunvegen castle in Isle of Skye
Cairngorms National Park