City of Inverness Scotland

Inverness, unofficial capital of the Highlands. Situated in a beautiful location where the River Ness flows into the Moray Firth. Easy to get to and easy to get around, with many things to see and do within a short walking distance. Travel a little further beyond the city and you'll discover lots more that will appeal. In 2001 it became Scotland's Millennium City.
Inverness is an excellent touring centre with good road, rail and air connections. With its suspension bridges across the River Ness and old stone buildings, it is a pretty place which is well-known for its floral displays. The City of Inverness Highland Games is always one of the highlights of any summer in the Highlands. As usual the heart of the City of Inverness Highland Games will be the traditional Heavy athletic events, the Highland Piping  competitions and the Highland Dancing competitions in Bught Park.
Important features of the Highland capital are its castle, constructed in early nineteenth century to replace Fort George which had been destroyed by the retreating Jacobite army of Bonnie Prince Charlie. The site of this castle, however, is on a natural mound which has been the home of fortresses for close to a thousand years. Even Macbeth had a fortress in Inverness!
The city's cathedral was the first built in Scotland after the Reformation of the church and stands imposingly on the side of the river. In the city centre there is a superb free museum and art gallery and nearby a Kilt Museum where Mel Gibson's kilt from Braveheart can be seen. The older part of the centre contains interesting and varied shops including a Victorian Arcade and a wonderful second-hand bookshop where money can be saved on many Scottish publications. There is also a large new shopping complex. All of this is within five minutes walk of the Victorian Town House which epitomises Victorian architecture.
Away from the city itself is Culloden battlefield where the final battle on British soil was fought in 1746 between the troops of the protestant King George II, under the command of the Duke of Cumberland, and those of Bonnie Prince Charlie in support of James, son of James VII & II, the deposed Catholic king. The Latin for James is Jacobus and this is where the term Jacobite originated.
Also nearby, but only open in the summer season is one of Scotland's finest mediaeval keeps, Cawdor Castle. Although romantically linked by Shakespeare with Macbeth, this castle is actually 14th century whereas Macbeth was 11th Century.
Also in the surrounding countryside are a number of stone circles and burial cairns which date back more than four thousand years for those interested in prehistoric Scotland.
The jewel in Scotland's crown, however, is the magnificent Loch Ness. Twenty-three miles long, averaging a mile wide and more than seven hundred and fifty feet deep, this one loch contains more water than all the lakes, rivers and reservoirs of England and Wales combined. There are Loch Ness visitor centres in Drumnadrochit where you can choose from the four star Loch Ness 2000 which covers the monster in the context of the natural history and environmental importance of the loch or its neighbour, the Loch Ness Monster Centre which concentrates on promoting the Nessie images.
The best way to visit Loch Ness and learn about the area is to take a tour from the city centre. In the summer Loch Ness tours also  include boat trips, or you could take one of the many city taxis. Also from the city centre in the summer, numerous tours run to the Culloden, Isle of Skye, John O'Groats, Orkney, the Black Isle and other outlying destinations for those wanting to base themselves in Inverness and tour from there.
The Tourist Information Office is located on Bridge Street, by the High Street, and includes a bureau de change, booking office for Caledonian MacBrayne ferries, gift shop, and accommodation booking service. Plus Internet access on 2 PC terminals. All the above tours and cruises can be booked at the Tourist Information Office.