Inverness
Inverness is the capital of the Highlands of northern Scotland. This city has a population of over seventy thousand residents and is situated at the mouth of the Great Glen. This city is considered to be one of Europe’s fastest growing cities and the population is expected to grow by more than forty percent in the next twenty years. Inverness is Gaelic in origin and translates into English as “Mouth of the River Ness”. The city is rarely called by its proper name, however, and its usually called by its nicknames by the local population. The local nicknames of the city are “The Shneck” and “Invershneckie”.
Inverness can trace its history to the mid-sixth century when it was a chief stronghold of the Picts. This city has historically enjoyed a strategic positioning in Scotland, and as a result has been the target of many attacks. Inverness was attacked on a regular basis by conquerors from the Western Isles, the most notable being the MacDonald Lords attacks during the fifteenth century. The MacDonald Clan invaded the city in the late fifteenth century during the Raid on Ross. To the extreme north of the city, Oliver Cromwell erected a citadel. This citadel was built large enough to hold over one thousand people. This citadel would eventually be demolished during the Restoration, all except the ramparts and a clock tower. During the eighteenth century, the Jacobites stayed in the Royal Fortress and used it as a military barracks. The Jacobites reign would end in 1746, after the Battle of Culloden at Culloden Moor. Traditionally, the industries that have been located in the city have been strongly tied to distilling. This has changed somewhat throughout the years, and the city is becoming increasingly known for its high tech industries. This is especially true in the medical device field. Tourism is another segment of the city’s economy that has shown a marked increase in the past few years. This is due in part to the historical monuments and attractions that populate the city.
One of the most popular attractions in the city of Inverness is Cawdor Castle. Cawdor Castle is a tower house that is located in Cawdor Parish and is approximately ten miles east of the city and five miles south of Nairn. This castle was erected in the fifteenth century by the Thane of Cawdor. The original construction of the tower house consisted of only a keep, but was expanded many times over the course of its history. The main, and most attractive feature of this tower house is its gardens and grounds. The grounds contain over one hundred species of trees and their are two gardens, the Walled Garden (first planted during the seventeenth century) and the Flower Garden (first planted in the eighteenth century). This tower house is the current home of Dowager Countess Cawdor. Inverness Castle is another important building in the city. This red sandstone castle was erected in the early nineteenth century by the architect William Burn. It was built on a site that has been the location of many castle through the centuries. The castle isn’t open to the general public, but the castle grounds can be visited throughout the year.
A short trip from the city is the Black Isle. The Black Isle, despite its name, is not an island but a lush green peninsula located between Cromarty and Beauly Firth. Located throughout the peninsula are a number of cottage museums and visitor centers that document the history of the area. Also located on the Isle is a whiskey distillery and several prominent attractions such as Redcastle, Castlecraig, Kilcoy Castle, Kinkell Castle and Cromarty Castle. A little further from the city is Beauly Priory. Beauly Priory contain the ruins of a Valliscaulian monastic community that was erected around the thirteenth century by Alexander II of Scotland.
Other popular attractions in the city include the Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, St. Andrews Cathedral, William Morrison Jeweller’s, James Pringle Weavers, River Ness, Floral Hall, Plodda Falls, Tomatin Distillery, Leakey’s Second-hand Bookshop, Aigas Field Centre, Culloden Battlefield, Highland Aviation Museum, Brahan Seer Monument, Inverness College, Old High Church, Raigmore Hospital and the Caledonian Canal. The city is also home to several restaurants and hotels. Restaurants in Inverness include Rocpool, Castle Restaurant, The Kitchen Restaurant, Contrast Brasserie, The Mustard Seed, Abstract Restaurant, Johnny Foxes, Cafe 1 and The Riverhouse. Hotels in the city of Inverness include Ramada Inverness, Best Western Inverness Palace Hotel & Spa, Loch Ness House Hotel, Royal Highland Hotel, North Kessock Hotel, The Waterside Inverness, Redcliffe Hotel, Glenmoriston Town House and the Kingsmills Hotel. And this is only a small sampling of what the city of Inverness has to offer to its visitors.
The city is home to many bagpipe players and lovers of bagpipes. In fact, every September the city host a solo bagpipe competition known as the Northern Meeting. And the name of the city is immortalized by the garment that bagpipe players wear called the Inverness cape. Other events in the city include the Highland Games, Rockness and the Tartan Heart Festival. Inverness has long been the birthplace and home of many prominent people. These include film director Don Boyd, Bishop of Aberdeen-Aeneas Chisholm, musician Malcolm Jones, actress Elspet Gray, actress Karen Gillan, Lord Chancellor Derry Irvine, theologian John A. Mackay, football player Pat Nevin, author Ali Smith and economist Ken MacTaggart. The city is also known as the location of the castle in Shakespeare’s play Macbeth.
Inverness is a city that is perfect for a weekend get away or a week long stay. No matter if your visiting the city for the historical buildings, the lively culture or the rolling green hills one thing is for sure. Inverness is a city that will stamp its impression on your imagination and will leave visitors with some fantastic photos of their stay in this ancient and beautiful city. And its also a city that you will want to return to again and again.
