Inverness

Inverness is the only city in the Scottish Highlands. It lies at the mouth of the River Ness as it flows into the Moray Firth in north-east Scotland. The city is the administrative centre for Highland Council, and was formerly the county town of Inverness-shire.

Inverness, Capital of the Highlands, became Scotland's fifth city in celebration of the start of the Third Millennium. It lies at the north end of the Great Glen, where the River Ness flows into the Moray Firth, and has been a natural focus for lines of communication to and through the Highlands for most of the last two thousand years.

Inverness was granted city status by the Queen in December 2000, and celebrated its new status officially in March 2001. In 2001, the population of Inverness was 51 000.

| Inverness City Centre |

Inverness-shire is a maritime county in north central Scotland, the largest of the Highland counties, bounded on the north by Beauly and Moray firths and Ross and Cromarty, on the east by Nairnshire, Morayshire, Banffshire, and Aberdeenshire, south by Perthshire and Argyllshire, and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean and the Inner and Outer Hebrides. It covers an area of 4383 square miles.

The surface of the shire is generally mountainous, counting among its highest peaks Ben Nevis, at 4406 feet the highest peak in Great Britain. The shire also has many of Scotland's most famous glens, including Urquehart, Nevis, Garry and Coe. Their wild and scenic beauty and extensive deer forests are preserved in national parks.

Because of the shire's rugged terrain, only about 5% is under cultivation. The chief towns of the mainland are Inverness, the county seat, Fort William, Kinlochleven, and Spean Bridge.

Inverness is linked to the Black Isle across the Moray Firth by the Kessock Bridge. It has a railway station with services to Glasgow, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and London. Inverness Airport is located 15 km east of the city and has scheduled flights to airports across the U.K. including London, Edinburgh and the islands to the north and west of Scotland.

Inverness Tourist Information Centre:
Castle Wynd, Inverness IV2 3BJ.
Tel: 01463 234353.
Fax: 01463 710609.
Open all year.

Attractions in Inverness:

Cawdor Castle | Cherry Island | Clava Cairns | Culloden Battlefield | Dolphins At Moray Firth | Inverness Castle | Inverness Museum & Art Gallery | Loch Ness & Nessie | Urquhart Castle