We are pleased to present a new Solo Travel Destination Post from Janice. She lives in Canada, and shares the following report about Inverness, Scotland. Do you have a solo travel destination that you would like to recommend? Submit your description here, along with a few photos, and share it with fellow travelers!
Solo travel rating: 1 (1 is easiest, 3 is most difficult. Please see chart below)
Languages spoken: English
View of the River Ness from the main bridge in Inverness.
Reasons to Visit Inverness, Scotland
Inverness is the gateway to northern Scotland. It is the home of the famous Loch Ness Monster. It is a small, walkable city that has much to offer.
I arrived in Inverness from Glasgow by train. Walking out of the station I easily found directional signs for various parts of the city including the Tourist Information Centre, which is where I headed for a map and to get oriented. That landed me on the high street, the center of town. I was there for a conference so, while there are many hostels in town, I stayed at the beautiful Kingsmills Hotel. En route, I stopped into the first of the three eatery recommendations I have for you.
- Tea room/restaurant: Girvin's is a family-owned restaurant with wonderful comfort food, a tempting pastry case, and the best donuts I've ever eaten. I've avoided commercial donuts for years because of the chemicals I can taste in them. These were pure. The real thing.
- Fine dining: Rocpool offers modern Scottish gourmet cuisine. At #1 Ness Walk it is on the River Ness near the center of town. The food is interesting and delicious, on the expensive side but worth it.
- Pub fair: Hootananny's is the pub to go to. There's entertainment almost every night and the food is quite decent.
Any visit to Inverness has to include at least a scan of Loch Ness just in case you sight the monster. Later on the day of my arrival I took a cruise of Loch Ness with Jacobite Cruises and Tours. It was their Loch Ness master class tour with Steve Feltham who has been hunting for the Loch Ness Monster full time since 1991 and Willie Cameron, the voice of Jacobite tours. See below for a videos of the two men talking about the Loch Ness monster.
After the conference I traveled from Inverness to the Isle of Skye where I spent five days hiking and exploring. You can read about that part of my trip to Scotland here: The Spectacular Isle of Skye Without a Car.
On this trip I didn't spend a lot of time in Inverness but since we didn't have a post on this lovely city I thought I'd add what I could. If you can contribute more on Inverness, please use our form here and Tracey will expand on this post. Cheers!
View of Urquhart castle from the cruise ship.
The best donut I've ever eaten was at Girvin's on Steven's Road in Inverness.
Hootananny's is the pub to go to for locals and travelers.
The people of Inverness love their Nessy (the Loch Ness Monster).
Solo Travel Destination Rating System
Safety – 1 (1 very safe, 2 safe in most areas, 3 be cautious at all times.)
Language – 1 (1 English is first language, 2 English speakers easy to find, 3 English speakers rare)
Navigation – 1 (1 easy to navigate by transit or car, 2 poor transit, car necessary, 3 not easy to get around)
Culture – 1 (1 Similar to North America or Western Europe, 2 Different from above but relaxed and easy, 3 Challenging)
Average Rating – 1 (1 is easiest, 4 is most difficult)
