Nairn Beach, only a few miles away
A beach for all seasons, when windy you may see kite surfers, summer will have sandcastles, winter and spring well wrapped dog walkers
Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness
Take a cruise on Loch Ness, stop for lunch at Drumnadrochit. Watch the boats on the flight of locks and visit The Caledonian Canal visitor centre at Fort Augustus. Return on the south side of the Loch visiting the spectacular Falls of Foyers.
Brodie Castle
Brodie Castle is especially lovely to visit when the daffodils are in full bloom.
Visit a distillery
In Speyside you cannot go any distance without passing a whisky distillery. So many to choose from, so little time! Visit a distillery, take the tour, learn about all the processes and then enjoy a dram at the end.
Enjoy a railway journey in style
For railway enthusiasts you can have a day out with two trains. On the Strathspey Steam Railway you can travel through the countryside having an evening meal or a traditional Sunday lunch served in style with white linen and gleaming cutlery. A few miles further on you can go up the UK's highest funicular railway to Cairn Gorm at 1097m
Historic fishing ports along the coast
There are a number of traditional fishing harbours along the Moray Coast. Portsoy holds an annual Traditional boat festival and has a very unusual harbour wall with stonework laid in 1693
Dolphin Spotting on the Moray Firth
Have you ever seen a dolphin in the wild? Moray Firth is home to about 190 bottlenose dolphins. You can sometimes see them from the Ramparts at Fort George, another popular place is the lighthouse at Chanonry Point. The Whale & Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) has a wildlife visitor centre at Spey Bay with binoculars, sound mics you may see Ospreys fishing and seals here too. free admission
In Autumn visit Glen Affric
Glen Affric is good at all times of the year, but Autumn is especially wonderful with the sound of the deer rut and the autumn colours
Visit Inverness & Ness Islands
A lovely walk, parking near Bught Park and walking across the bridges linking the Ness Islands, you may see kingfishers, otters, osprey, gooseanders, mergansers, herons and gulls. Lunch at Eden Court or the Floral Hall
Loch Ness
World famous, Loch Ness is just the other side of Inverness and well worth a day exploring as you can drive along both sides of the Loch. This photo is taken from the long lay-by just outside Inverness on the A82