Relaxing Things To Do In Inverness

Overview of Inverness

Known as the capital of the highlands, Inverness is a beautiful, somewhat-quaint Scottish town split by water with greenery overflowing onto the streets.  Considered the cultural capital of the Scottish highlands, the city’s Old Town is considered the most authentic and vital of all the highlands. Somewhat removed from the strain and bustle of major cities, there are many relaxing things to do in Inverness.

Relaxing Things to Do In Inverness

The Clootie Well of Munlochy

Mounlochy is a small town north of Inverness, home to a famed Clootie Well. Clootie Wells are unique pagan tradition which involves tying countless colored rags around trees near a sacred heeling well. A “Cloot” is a rag or piece of cloth which has been bound to the nearby grove after being dipped in the well’s healing properties. The ancient tradition is considered an important aspect of Celtic native beliefs.

Inverness Castle

While many castles of Scotland are grim, battle-tried fortifications on high summits, the Inverness Castle is bright and beautiful. The structure is made of red sandstone which overlooks imposing cliffs. The castle grounds are artfully cared for and are freely open to the public.

Fort George

This is a modern military complex perched at the end of a peninsula (Moray Firth). The fortification has national importance and served as an 18th-century fortified garrison and working army barracks. Currently, it houses the Highlanders’ regimental museum..

Eden Court Theater

This is a large and beautiful theater, notorious for performing unusual and creative shows.  The theater is a good option for a rainy days while visiting town.

Loch Ness

Likely the most famed body of water in all of Scotland, Loch Ness holds international curiosity as the homeplace of Nessie, otherwise known as the Loch Ness Monster Cryptid. Inverness is a good launching point to visit the most famed loch of Scotland, where the supposed plesiosaur is thought to live.  Even if Nessie continues to elude visitors, the Loch is a beautiful area with stunning scenery, Jacobite historical relevance and excellent hiking trails.

Inverness Victorian Market

This is a beautiful and large-scale 19th-century market entirely made of indoor arcades and shops.  It’s the city’s center with gift stores, souvenir venues, small cafés and eateries.

Culloden Battlefield

One of the most defining events of United Kingdom’s history involved the fraught Jacobite Uprising, a large-scale political and military effort which attempted to overthrow the House of Hanover and restore the House of Stuart to the British Throne. When the first attempts failed to gain support in England, the Jacobite leaders retreated back to Scotland to consolidate their efforts. The Culloden Battlefield is known as the last pitched-battle site on UK soil, marking the end of the Jacobite Uprising. The Battlefield is a powerfully emotive space and, in modern times, an important nesting site for the endangered skylark.

Leakey’s Bookshop

For literary fans, this is a very popular space to visit. Leakey’s Bookshop is an enormous, tumbling bookshop hosted inside a decommissioned Church. Aside from books, it also has maps, specialized tomes and interesting prints covering a range of subjects.

Velocity Cafe and Bicycle Workshop

This is an interesting little combination of bike mechanic shop and coffee café. Visitors can lounge in the cozy, blue hangout while glancing at bikes decorating the room.

Clava Cairns

For those enamored with truly ancient history, these cairns are a worthy visit. The Clava Cairns are a Bronze Age stone tomb used to house the dead of 4,000 years ago. There are roughly 50 cairns built in this manner in the area around Inverness. The most interesting thing about the central Clava Cairns is its positioning. The stones are aligned to perfectly coordinate with a setting sun in the winter. The structures, located near rivers and other monoliths, makes this an almost otherworldly place to visit.

Merkinch Local Nature Reserve

Located just to the North of Inverness, this coastal nature preserve is a beautiful walking and hiking area. Visitors can spot birds, deer, marine mammals and other wildlife. The trails following the shore lead along the edges of Inverness, including a walkway along the Caledonian Canal Sea Lock.

Read more about relaxing things to do in Inverness and seeing the world by visiting Leftfade Trails Blog.

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