In Inverness — with no sightings of a River Ness monster

Bob and I left Thornhill on a 6:30 am bus to Cumnock (1 hour commute), switching to a bus to Glasgow (approximately 1.5 hour commute) where we had about an hour wait for our train to Inverness. We spent about a day and a half in Inverness before continuing on to Kirkwall, the largest town in the Orkney Islands for a longer holiday.

We had beautiful weather in Inverness and were able to see much of the central city as well as some outlying areas. Inverness, with a population of about 47,000, is considered the capital of the Scottish Highlands. It is the northernmost city (as opposed to a town, village, etc.) in the UK. The River (not Loch/Lake) Ness runs through the city and joins up with the Moray Firth (an inlet of a sea).

We enjoyed walking along the river.

Looking across the River Ness towards the St. Columba High Church

Looking back towards town as we walk towards the Ness Islands (This island nation is crazy with islands!)

The Old High Church and houses along the river as we walk towards the Moray Firth

The Inverness Castle (currently being partially used for court offices)

In addition to our walks along the River Ness, we also walked the City Heritage Tour which began at the Inverness Castle. There are no tours of the Castle since it is being used for other purposes, but you can stroll the grounds and take in some good views of the city

View across the river to the Palace Hotel and outer environs

Looking down over the beautiful Castle gardens

Looking past the Ness bridge towards the Moray Firth

Below are some photos of some of the cool buildings we saw on our walkabouts.

Maybe it’s just my sweet tooth, but this hotel reminded me of a gingerbread house every time I saw it

The Tollbooth Steepl, dating from 1789, next to it is the original courthouse and jail (now shops below and flats above)

The Old High Church, its curfew bell has been rung every weekday evening at 8 pm since 1720

St. Andrews Cathedral, completed in 1869

The beautiful, modern (1979) Eden Court Theatre which incorporates the Bishop’s Palace (older building on right built 1878) and includes an auditorium, 2 cinemas, a dance studio, theatre, cafe (but of course!), bar, and a restaurant

We had a lovely walk out to the Merkinch Nature Reserve which is 54.7 hectares of land and lies on the shore to the west of where the River Ness enters the sea. it’s southern boundary is the Caledonian Canal (more on that below).

On the edge of the reserve, along the river

Low tide — the white building is an office building for the canal

The Caledonian Canal connects the Scottish east coast at Inverness with the west coast near Fort William. It is 60 miles long, and you can boat, paddle, cycle, or walk/run the length of it.