Things To Do in Beauly & Inverness

There are plenty of things to do in Beauly and Inverness and the local area. As well as shopping and eating there are fabulous walks, golf courses, bird-watching, fishing, shooting, dolphin watching, sports, whisky distilleries, breweries and of course some amazing old buildings like Beauly Priory, Kilmorack Gallery and Urquhart Castle.

Glens

Glen Affric and Strathfarrar are two of the glens that feed into the river Beauly and both are stunning, and National Nature Reserves. Many people reckon that Glen Affric is the most beautiful glen in Scotland (and therefore the world!!!). We love both glens and even named one of our own range of scented candles after Glen Affric. A walk right round Loch Affric is about 11 miles but relatively flat, or there are lots of hills to climb (not so flat!). It can get very busy in the summer, so we often go to Strathfarrar instead where they limit the number of visitors in the glen at any one time.

Golf

There are several golf courses in the area - the two most local to Beauly are the Muir Of Ord course (Scottish Golf Club of the Year 2016) and the Aigas one - beautifully located overlooking the river Beauly. And further afield are plenty of famous courses such as Castle Stuart, Nairn and Royal Dornoch.

Wildlife

Wildlife watching in the area takes many forms from formal excursions with a guide such as with Aigas Field Centre, or just looking in the sky as you walk through Glen Affric on the lookout for Golden Eagles. 

For eagles and deer the glens are a good place to start: Glen Affric, Strathfarrar or Strathconon being particularly good.

For dolphins there are boat trips from Inverness or Cromarty, or you can stand on the shore at Chanonry Point near Fortrose for a good chance to see them leaping out of the water, particularly soon after a change of tide.

Red Kites can be seen throughout the area, particularly on the Black Isle and there is a special set-up for viewing them at Tollie Red Kites near Dingwall.

If you have children with you why not drop in to the children's farm at Robertson's Farm Shop just East of Beauly where the little ones can meet the animals and let off steam in the play area.

Drinking

An essential part of a tour of the Highlands wouldn't be complete without a visit to a whisky distillery, and we fortunately have a great one on our doorstep - Glen Ord Distillery by Muir of Ord, just a couple of miles from Beauly. They provide fascinating tours and the whisky is very highly regarded.

A newer attraction is the Black Isle Brewery, Scotland's premier Organic Craft Beer Brewery based, surprisingly enough, on the Black Isle, near Munlochy. You can take a tour and see their farm too.

Sport

As well as golf you can find many sports activities based in the sports centres in Inverness or Dingwall, plus activities like canoeing, cycling, sailing are widely available in the area.

Entertainment

Some Thursday evenings in the summer there is a performance with a Pipe Band and Highland Dancers in the village square in Beauly from 7.30pm.