Places to explore near Inverness

Wooded river islands in central Inverness linked by Victorian suspension footbridges, a favourite riverside stroll.

1.6 km S

Coastal reserve of saltmarsh and shingle on the Beauly Firth in Inverness, good for wading birds and seals.

2.1 km NW

The Caledonian Canal's northern sea lock at Clachnaharry, where the canal meets the Beauly Firth with wide water views.

2.7 km NW

Ancient wayside healing well near Munlochy, its surrounding trees hung with thousands of rags left by pilgrims.

8.8 km N

Clava Cairns, cairns 70m, 170m NE of and 210m, 460m ENE of, barrow 270m NE of, and standing stone 395m NE of Balnuarin

9.2 km E

Sheltered woodland glen west of Inverness with a riverside trail and some of Britain's tallest conifers.

11.6 km SW

Shingle beach at the head of Loch Ness giving the classic straight-down-the-loch view toward Urquhart Castle.

12.4 km SW

Small Black Isle town on the Moray Firth with a red-sandstone cathedral ruin and a spit running out to Chanonry Point.

12.8 km NE · Highland

Low spit reaching into the Moray Firth narrows off Fortrose, one of Britain's best land-based bottlenose dolphin spots.

13.3 km NE

Rosemarkie museum housing a celebrated collection of Pictish carved stones, including the Rosemarkie cross-slab.

14.2 km NE

Pretty Black Isle village with a sandy beach, the Pictish-stone Groam House Museum and the Fairy Glen waterfall walk.

14.2 km NE · Highland

Sand-and-shingle Black Isle beach backed by red cliffs, with a café and the Fairy Glen walk at the far end.

14.5 km NE

Community-owned croft and forest above Loch Ness with waymarked trails, lochans and long views over the Great Glen.

14.8 km SW

Historic distillery at Muir of Ord on the edge of the Black Isle, offering tours of its Singleton single malt.

15.7 km W

Trim estate village of the Cawdor lands between Nairn and Inverness, gathered around the castle, kirk and tavern.

18.2 km E · Highland

Reedy hill loch reserve south of Inverness, the UK's key breeding site for the rare Slavonian grebe, with a hide.

18.4 km S

Fairytale turreted castle of Macbeth fame with three walled gardens and woodland nature trails.

18.6 km E

Tidal-flat reserve on the north Black Isle at Jemimaville, with a hide for wintering wildfowl and waders.

20.3 km N

Cawdor-estate distillery near Nairn, granted a royal warrant in the 1830s, offering pre-booked tours and tastings.

20.3 km E

Ruined castle on the shore of Loch Ness.

21.5 km SW

Victorian spa village of pastel villas around a restored pump room and pavilion, at the foot of Ben Wyvis.

22.4 km NW · Highland

Deepest by volume of the Great Glen lochs and the most storied water in Britain, its peat-dark length running 23 miles past Urquhart Castle.

23.9 km SW

Long sandy central beach and promenade at Nairn, looking across the Moray Firth to the Black Isle and hills beyond.

24 km NE

Local history museum in the centre of Nairn charting the town's fishing, farming and Highland past.

24.1 km NE

Along the great fault line from Fort William to Inverness, tracing the Caledonian Canal and the shore of Loch Ness.

0.2 km S · Highland

City-centre taproom of the organic Black Isle Brewery, pouring its own beers over pizza in central Inverness.

0.2 km NW

Turreted pub below Inverness Castle with a big beer terrace over the River Ness and a strong cask range.

0.3 km S

Oldest church in Inverness, on a mound above the Ness with a 14th-century tower and a kirkyard marked by Culloden's aftermath.

0.3 km NW

Riverside Inverness distillery and brewery with tours, tastings and a bar overlooking the Ness.

0.5 km S

Victorian Gothic cathedral of pink sandstone on the west bank of the Ness, with marble columns and rich stained glass.

0.5 km SW

Sixty miles by canoe or kayak coast to coast through the Great Glen, from Fort William to Inverness by loch and canal

1.3 km NW · Highland

Telford's Great Glen waterway from Fort William to Inverness — a third canal, two-thirds loch, climbing Neptune's Staircase beneath Ben Nevis.

1.4 km NW · Highland

The UK's most northerly botanic garden, with tropical and cactus glasshouses, outdoor beds and a café, free to enter.

2 km SW