Local Interests
Apart from the excellent sailing in and around the Moray Firth there are also many shore based activities easily accessible from Inverness Marina.
Inverness Marina is at the eastern entrance of the Caledonian Canal giving easy access to the World famous west Coast sailing.
What is not so well known is the easy access to the Orkney and Shetland Islands via the new marina at Wick. New pontoons have been fitted in the inner, sheltered harbour making a perfect stopover when on passage to Orkney and onwards to Shetland and Scandinavia.
Wick Marina welcomes visiting yachts www.wickharbour.co.uk
Orkney Marinas welcomes visiting yachts www.orkneymarinas.co.uk
Shetland Marina welcomes visiting yachts www.shetlandmarinas.com
Inverness Marina can arrange berths at all three destinations before departing.
Located at the top of the Great Glen a great variety of different kinds of landscapes lie within easy reach. Loch Ness is only a few miles away. To the south and west lie the hills and mountains in the heart of the Highlands notably Glen Affric. West of Inverness and with the small town of Beauly at its northern gateway, the long glen of Strathglass leads into these heartlands.
East of Inverness, the hills gradually give way to the narrow and sheltered lowland strip around the edge of the Moray Firth, where there is the town of Nairn, a long established resort notable for its golf and long sandy beaches.
North of Inverness, over the Kessock Bridge leads you to the Black Isle which has many small harbours and wonderful soft scenery.
Overall, this area offers plenty of Scottish strands to follow with good range of historic sites and castles, as well as Europe`s best preserved 18th century fort at Fort George. The sport and activity choice is also wide-ranging and includes both cruising on Loch Ness (monsters maybe!) and also the Moray Firth (dolphins almost definitely).
Shopping for Scottish crafts together with all the usual high street chains are only a short walk from Inverness Marina.
The nightlife and cultural programmes of Scotland`s most northerly city are also easily accessible from Inverness Marina
Car hire can be arranged and public transport is readily available to most of the local attractions.
The Whisky Trail
Inverness is ideally situated for a day visiting the famous whisky distilleries which are situated close by. The distillery owners welcome visitors and provide organised tours and tasting sessions.
The Whisky Trail is well signposted and provides a good day out to be remembered. www.maltwhiskytrail.com
Golf
The Moray Firth Coast is home to many internationally famous golf courses all easily reached by car from Inverness Marina.
Names such as:
| Golf Club | Telephone | External Website |
|---|---|---|
| The Nairn Golf Club | +44(0)1667 453208 | www.nairngolfclub.co.uk |
| Nairn Dunbar GC | +44(0)1667 452741 | www.nairndunbar.com |
| Moray Golf Club Lossiemouth | +44(0)1343 812018 | www.moraygolf.co.uk |
| Elgin GC | +44(0)1343 542338 | www.elgingolfclub.com |
| Forres GC | +44(0)1309 672250 | www.forresgolf.co.uk |
| Fortrose & Rosemarkie GC | +44(0)1381 620529 | www.fortrosegolfclub.co.uk |
| Inverness Golf Club | +44(0)1463 231989 | www.invernessgolfclub.co.uk |
| Royal Dornoch GC | +44(0)1862 810219 | www.royaldornoch.com |
All the above are within a 40 minute drive of Inverness Marina. Club hire can be arranged directly with the golf courses should you prefer to use the same clubs for a number of days at different courses. (then there is no excuse to blame the clubs for bad round !!)
Day trips from the Marina
The Moray Firth coast boasts miles of award winning sandy beaches all accessible within a half hour drive whilst many famous castles are close by (Cawdor Castle, Brodie Castle, Castle Stewart and Ballindalloch Castle) providing interesting days away from the boat.
We can recommend Scottish Talespinner who can provide personal guided tours for groups or individuals.They can be purpose designed to suit special requirements.
Contact: Hugh G Allison 07743 473081 www.scottishtalespinner.com
Hill Walking and Skiing
Inverness Marina is about 45 minutes drive from Aviemore. There is also a regular train service.
Aviemore is at the centre of the world famous Cairngorm National Park where it is possible to ski during winter and spring months.
When the snow melts there are splendid mountain walks and many valley excursions all easily reached from Aviemore.
There is funicular railway that takes you to the top of Cairngorm to enable the ”not so fit” to see the fantastic views of Britain`s only Arctic environment.
Visit Cairngorms: www.visitcairngorms.com
Driving westwards it takes about one and a half hours to reach the dramatic west coast and it provides a nice tour for those days when there is not enough wind to sail. There are also many fine Munro`s available for the experienced hill walker.
