"My Week in the Highlands" a Inverness Travel Page by AussieDeb

October 2004 was my first time back in Scotland since I was two years old (I was born in Inverness). We only had one week there, so didn't stray out of the Highlands, but still managed to get around thanks to our hire car. We drove as far west as the Isle of Skye and as far north as Dunnet Head (forget John O'Groats - this is the true most northerly spot on mainland Britain).

The countryside was beautiful; the autumn leaves colourful, some of the landscape bleak but stunning, the lochs glassy and mysterious and the castle ruins fascinating. I loved the wildlife - pheasants, deer, black faced sheep (ok, maybe not so wild), shaggy highland cattle and more.

It rained for part of our stay, but wasn't as cold as I had expected. Let's face it though, you don't go to Scotland for the hot sunny days!

I had heard some unflattering comments via the web, so was pleasantly surprised to see how truly pretty Inverness is. The Scottish people are friendly, too. One week wasn't enough to see everything I wanted to see. Gotta save my bikkies and go back!

We stayed about 10 miles outside of Inverness, near Croy, on a working farm. (See my Accommodation tip for more details.) It was very peaceful and a great base from which to explore the region.

Checking out the town, Inverness Castle looked quite picturesque, but a bit too modern to warrant a visit. The nearby church on the bank of the River Ness caught my eye more with its pink stone walls, a sprinkling of autumn leaves forming a nice contrast to the vibrant green around its base. The river was surprisingly fast flowing.

Driving west from Inverness towards the Isle of Skye, you pass through some amazing scenery that is at times postcard pretty, at others bleak and eerie. It's tough land with a powerful presence, given a romantic edge by sporadic rain and mist. It's easy to feel lost in time here.