The Capital of the Highlands: A Sightseeing Tour of Inverness

(166 reviews)

Inverness audio tour: The Capital of the Highlands: A Sightseeing Tour of Inverness

This is a 2.8mi walking tour

It takes an average of 90 mins to complete.

Inverness

The United Kingdom

$9.99

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About the Tour

Join your professional guide, Andrew Baxter, as he takes you on a journey around the capital of the Highlands. You’ll explore key sites like Inverness Cathedral, Ness Island and Inverness Castle before going for a quiet riverside stroll.

Along the way, you’ll trace the city’s history back to its origins, and find out about the almost mythical tribe that made Inverness their capital. You’ll follow in the footsteps of a Celtic saint who stopped the Loch Ness Monster too, and discover a strange soothsayer who was obsessed with bridges while you wobble across the river, avoiding the sinister clutches of wee fairies.

You’ll stand in a churchyard that Bonnie Prince Charlie’s and his Jacobite supporters marched through to blow up Inverness Castle. (It was in the same churchyard that many of those soldiers were later executed by the British Army.)

But this tour is about more than just history. Andrew will also tell you what life is like in modern Inverness and why it is becoming a popular place to live and work. And if you ever wondered what is worn under a Scotsman's kilt, then you might find out the answer to that question too!

Tour Producer

Andrew Baxter

2 tours

Andrew Baxter is an experienced professional tourist guide and founder of Glen 2 Glen Tours. He welcomes guests from across the world as they discover the very best Scotland has to offer. Andrew combines elements of history, culture, humour, folklore and storytelling to conjure up an unforgettable experience.

His mission is to make every tour educational, enjoyable and above all entertaining. Specialising in researching the unusual and unexpected details about any destination, Andrew delights in weaving the traditional myths and legends of Scotland into his tours. Alongside this, he throws in a careful blend of contemporary culture and everyday Scottish life to demonstrate the real Scotland.

Andrew Baxter is based in the stunning West Highlands, surrounded by lochs, mountains and midges! He spends his spare time tramping footpaths, clambering over castle ruins and bog hopping with his young family as they explore the Scottish Highlands together.

Preview Location

Location 25

Beware the Fairy Hill

The geologists like to tell us that Tomnahurch Hill is part of a landscape feature called an esker. It's a large mound of sand and gravel left behind by a retreating glacier at the end of the last Ice Age, around 14,000 years ago.

However, local people might tell you that ... The geologists like to tell us that Tomnahurch Hill is part of a landscape feature called an esker. It's a large mound of sand and gravel left behind by a retreating glacier at the end of the last Ice Age, around 14,000 years ago.

However, local people might tell you that it was really built by fairies as it remains the home of fairies. Now, before you head off in search of cute little fairies flying around on delicate wings - beware! Highland fairies aren't like those you see in the Disney films. These are more sinister creatures that like to trick human beings.

Many years ago there was two young fiddlers, who played in the inns around Inverness. One evening, as they passed the hill they came across a short elderly man who invited them to join him at a ceilidh. He beckoned them through large oak doors and asked them to play for his friends. As they entered the depths below the hill the doors swung tightly shut behind. In a cavernous room, a throng of people was gathered, the hall lit brightly with flaming torches.

Our fiddlers began to play. As they did so everyone began to dance. They reeled and twirled across the floor as the music grew faster and faster. The night wore on and the fiddlers played the best they ever had - tune after tune flowed from their fiddles. Yet, the crowd never tired of their dancing. Eventually, a round of applause rang out around the cavern and the old man presented the musicians with a bag of gold coins as they fell exhausted to the floor.

Dawn was creeping across the rooftops as the old man led the fiddlers outside and bid them farewell. Needing a hearty breakfast they headed off into town. Yet, they didn't recognise many of the buildings around them, although they could see the Old High Kirk sat above the river. As they passed by, people stopped and stared, pointing at their old fashioned clothes.

Confused by the reaction the two lads glanced at each other, to see their faces were creased and folded with the signs of old age. The tollbooth clock struck the hour, and as it did so the fiddlers turned to stone and crumbled to dust.

The tolling bell had broken the fairy charm that held them captive beneath Tomnahurich Hill for the last 200 years.

Continue along the path.

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Major Landmarks

Inverness Cathedral
Greig Street Bridge
Old High Church
Abertarff House
Inverness Town House
Inverness Castle
Ness Islands
Eden Court Inverness

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Getting There

Route Overview

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Start location
Ardross St, Inverness IV3 5NN, UK
Total distance

4km
Final location
Bishops Rd, Inverness IV3 5SA, UK
Distance back to start location

174.17m

Directions to Starting Point

The tour starts outside Inverness Cathedral - position yourself by the steps, below the towers, that lead to large entrance doors. It's a ten-minute walk from the city centre, bus and railway station, just follow the pedestrian signposts around the city.

There's a car park adjacent to the cathedral on Bishops Road (Postcode: IV3 5SB) where you can pay and display for your parking. It can get a bit busy here, so you may need to find a place elsewhere and walk back.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

The Black Isle Brewery on Church Street, wash down freshly made pizza with locally made beer.
Inverness Museum (below the castle) with a good exhibition about the Jacobites.
Inverness Castle Viewing platform - climb one of the towers for great views of the city and surrounding countryside.

Best time of day

This route makes the perfect pre or post-dinner tour, particularly on a fine day when you can catch glorious sunsets, particularly from the high-ground by the castle.

Precautions

You can experience all four seasons in one day in the Scottish Highlands, and that included the centre of Inverness. Make sure you have a raincoat or jacket with you just in case.

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