Inverness City Breaks - Outside the City

The truly glorious scenery of the Scottish Highlands means that getting out and about and exploring the areas around the city is an essential part of an Inverness city break. Here are our top ten tips for the areas to head for - you won't be disappointed!

Cairngorm Funicular
Taking you all the way up Cairngorm Mountain to just 400 feet below the summit, if you're a skier then this is the place for you. There's also a restaurant for those in need of refreshments to enjoy the beautiful views. Either way, this is an ideal way to see some of Scotland's most rugged countryside. Read more about the Cairngorn Funicular.

Loch Morlich beach and watersports
Situated at the foot of Cairn Gorm, Loch Morlich is right at the heart of the National Park. This beautiful location provides an ideal site for you to enjoy a wide range of activities from watersports to walking and mountain biking to fishing. Visit the Loch Morlich website.

Glen Affric
A National Nature Reserve, this is an area of breathtaking beauty and it provides access to some of the wilder and more remote areas of Scotland. Wildlife abounds here, and within the remnants of the ancient Caledonian Pine Forest you might be lucky enough to see, red deer, golden eagles, badgers, pine martens and otters. Visit the Glenaffric website.

Tomatin Distillery
Originally an Illicit still, Tomatin goes back to the 15th Century when drovers - men who 'drove' their cattle to market over high mountain passes - would fill up their whisky flasks from a still alongside the Old Laird's House. You can take the tour and taste a little bit of Scottish history here. Visit the Tomatin Distillery website.

Cruise Loch Ness
Enjoy a relaxing cruise and keep an eye out for the monster! One of the finest ways to see Loch Ness, a cruise puts you in the heart of the loch and enables you to witness the stunning views it offers. Read more about visiting Loch Ness.

Highland Wildlife Park
Experience a range of Scottish wildlife - as well as international endangered animals - in the spectacular setting of the Highland Wildlife Park. You can either drive around the Main Reserve in your car or investigate the walk-round area on foot. Or you can do both and see everything the park has to offer. Vsiit the website of Highland Wildlife Park.

Explore the views at Fyrish Monument
A huge structure of three central arches and four flanking towers, the monument was built in 1783 by Sir Hector Munro - the local laird. He had been commander of British Forces in India, and defeated the Dutch at the Battle of Negapatam. On his return to the Highlands the Clearances were underway and many people were starving. At that time, famine relief was provided only in return for work - it being feared that feeding the starving would make them lazy - and the construction of the monument was one of the tasks given to the local destitute.

Visit Rogie Falls
Located on the Blackwater River just outside Contin these are beautiful waterfalls. Crossed by a decked suspension bridge, there are also a series of trails that explore the surrounding woodland.

Visit the historic village of Cromarty
Cromarty is the ideal destination in the Highlands, whether you wish to stop, or are touring. Not really itself a Highland town, it is a convenient and beautiful centre from which to tour, being only 40 minutes drive from Inverness, the 'Capital of the Highlands' and also accessible by ferry from across the Cromarty Firth at Nigg. Cromarty combines the advantages of its convenience as a base from which to travel throughout the Highlands, with an apparent detachment from the mainstream of tourist routes, giving the best of both worlds. 

Quad biking and Clay pigeon shooting at Rothiemurchus
Located at the heart of the Cairngorms National Park, near Aviemore, it offers a warm welcome, stunning scenery and a wealth of outdoor activities for individuals, families, groups and corporate parties to enjoy. Read more about enjoying the activities avaialable at Rothiemurchus.