Adventures around Invernesswith PlusBus
The Highland city of Inverness is surrounded by countryside and wildlife. You could spot red squirrels in the woods and seals in the water. You’ll certainly see all kinds of birds, from seagulls to herons. The city’s name means Mouth of the River Ness and the river runs right through the middle. A PlusBus ticket gives you unlimited bus travel all over the city all day long so you can eat cake among flowery gardens in the morning and take a nature walk with a chance of seeing dolphins in the afternoon.
-
-
1. Ness Islands
Catch a bus from the station to explore Ness Islands with their series of suspension footbridges. Add PlusBus when you buy your train ticket to Inverness or simply show your train ticket when you arrive at Inverness railway station and ask for a PlusBus ticket then.
- Ness Islands are a group of natural, wooded islands in the middle of the river. Stroll over elegant Victorian bridges and under tall trees; sit on carved wooden benches to watch the river flowing past and don’t miss the fallen tree that’s a become a sculpture of the Loch Ness monster! You might see salmon fishermen standing in the river and – if you’re very lucky – you could glimpse a sleek otter swimming under one of the bridges. Traditional street lamps and strings of coloured lights illuminate the islands after dark.
- How do I get to Ness Islands by bus? Exit from Inverness railway station and turn right along Academy Street for a few steps to find a bus stop outside the Performing Arts Academy, just past the Pentahotel. Bus 9 leaves hourly from here (not Sundays) and takes six minutes to reach the stop opposite Ness Islands. Alternatively, take bus 2 (see 2 below).
- On the way, look out for Inverness castle, at the top of a grassy slope on the left as the bus runs along the river and St Andrew’s cathedral, across the water on your right. Step off the bus and walk a few steps back along the road to find the path on the left, leading to the first of several suspension bridges.
- There are lots of great walks in the area. You can stroll through the islands, past a landmark called the Circle of Wise. You will see signs for the long-distance Great Glen Way, which starts here, beside the river and the Caledonian canal. On the far side of the river, you’ll reach the Botanic Gardens. Read on for more details…
-
-
2. Inverness Botanic Gardens
The UK’s most northerly botanical gardens are open daily and packed with seasonal colour. Warm up in the fragrant, humid air of the Tropical House among fabulously bright all-year flowers that more usually grow in the Southern hemisphere. See what kinds of plants produce pineapples, ginger, coffee and bananas. Stroll past little waterfalls, a pond full of carp, sunset-coloured bird-of-paradise flowers and delicately-dangling orchids.
- How do I get to Inverness Botanic Gardens by bus? The gardens are an easy walk from Ness Islands but, if you want to head straight there from the railway station, you can also hop on bus 2 from Stop B on Queensgate, opposite the station. Get off, after about 7 minutes, at the stop called Cemetery gates. Walk a few steps further and turn left into Bught Drive. (Look out for cherry blossom on this road in spring!)
- Follow Bught Drive right. Keep straight between Inverness Ice Centre and Inverness Leisure Centre with its twisting flumes. Follow the signs right again to the botanic gardens.
- Once you’ve had a stroll through the flowering gardens and greenhouses, palm trees and cacti, it might be time to sit down (inside or out) for coffee and freshly-baked cakes at Café Botanics. The soup is made using produce from the garden and comes with a roll, oatcakes or a homemade scone.
-
3. Caledonian Canal, Clachnaharry Inn and Merkinch nature reserve
The Botanic Gardens are a a good place to start a walk along the Caledonian canal to Clachnaharry, where the canal meets the sea. Follow the Great Glen way signs, cross over and turn right along the canal, keeping the water on your right. When the Great Glen Way heads off through the forest towards legendary Loch Ness, keep straight beside the canal to reach the little, whitewashed Clachnaharry Inn, which is a great place for supper or a pint.
- After about a mile on the way to the inn, the path leaves the canal for a little while, but keep following the signs to Muirtown Locks. Beyond this flight of locks, keep on along the waterside path beside Muitown Basin. Reaching another lock ahead, follow High Street left to the Clachnaharry Inn. The whole walk is just over two miles. Alternatively, you can take the bus straight there.
- How do I get to Clachnaharry by bus? From Inverness railway station, hop on bus 28 towards Dingwall from the neighbouring bus station (Stance 1) and get off, after about 5 minutes, at the stop called Clachnaharry (opposite inn).
- Across the canal from the inn is the marshy Merkinch nature reserve, where there are benches and boardwalks for watching the wildlife. Among the tidal pools and reedbeds, you have a good chance of seeing all kinds of wading birds as well as deer, herons, cormorants and more.
- Keep looking and you might spot the turquoise flash of a kingfisher. From the waterside path beyond the railway, you could also catch a glimpse of the area’s bottlenose dolphins. The beaches around Inverness are the best places in the UK to see dolphins from land.
- To return to the station, either walk back to Clachnaharry for bus 28 or keep going towards the far side of the reserve, about half a mile away. Bus 3 calls twice an hour (hourly on Sundays) at the turning circle where the path meets Kessock Road. It runs, across the River Ness, to Queensgate near the railway station.
