18 Best Sights in Inverness and Around the Great Glen, Scotland

This sprawling, rugged wilderness of mountains, moorlands, glens, and lochs covers nearly 1,750 square miles of countryside, making it Britain's largest national park. It is home to five of Scotland's nine 4,000-foot mountains, with 13 more over 3,000 feet. These rounded mountains, including Cairn Gorm (meaning "blue hill" in Gaelic) and Ben Macdui, the second highest in Britain at 4,295 feet, were formed at the end of the last ice age. The Lairig Ghru Pass, a stunning U-shaped glen, was carved by the retreating glacier.

A good place to start exploring the Cairngorms is the main visitor center in Aviemore. The staff can dispense maps, expert advice on the best trails, and information on guided walks and other activities. For hikers and cyclists, there are dozens of scenic trails centered around Loch Morlich. Because much of the park's best scenery—including ancient pine forests and open moorland—is off-road, a particularly good way to cover ground in the park is on a pony trek. The Rothiemurchus Estate leads treks for riders of all abilities.

The environment supports rare arctic-alpine and tundra plant and animal species (a full quarter of Britain's endangered species are found here), including flora such as the least willow and alpine blue-sow thistle and birds such as the ptarmigan, dotterel, and Scottish crossbill—the only bird completely unique to Britain. Lower down the slopes, terrain that was once filled with woodland is now characterized by heather, cotton grass, and sphagnum moss. This open expanse affords glimpses of animals such as the golden eagle, roe deer, or red deer. Fragments of the ancient Caledonian forest (largely Scots pine, birch, and rowan) remain and are ideal habitats for pine martens, red squirrels, and capercaillie (a large grouse). Studding these forests are dramatic glens and the rivers Spey, Don, and Dee, which are home to Atlantic salmon, otters, and freshwater pearl mussels.

Weather conditions in the park change abruptly, so bring cold-weather gear, particularly if you plan on hiking long distances.

Explore reconstructed Highland buildings, including a Victorian-era schoolhouse, at this open-air museum 2 miles west of Kingussie. You can also watch tailors, clock makers, and joiners demonstrating their trades. Walking paths (or old-fashioned buses) take you to the 18th-century township that was a setting for the hit TV show Outlander and includes a peat house made of turf and a weaver's house. Throughout the museum there are hands-on exhibits like a working quern stone for grinding grain.

This excellent activity center has a host of organized outdoor diversions, including guided pony rides, mountain biking, fishing, gorge swimming, and white-water rafting. It also offers ranger-guided safaris to see the park's rare and endangered wildlife, including red squirrels and "hairy heilan coos" (Highland slang for Highland cattle—docile, yaklike creatures). The Rothiemurchus Centre is the best place to get oriented and book activities; it also has a handy restaurant and a well-stocked shop selling plenty of fresh produce from the estate. One of the most beautiful parts of the estate is a nature reserve called Loch an Eilein. There are great low-level paths around the tree-rimmed loch—perfect for bikes—or longer trails to Glen Einich. A converted cottage beside Loch an Eilein serves as a visitor center, art gallery, and craft store.

In the town center, the small but fascinating West Highland Museum explores the history of Prince Charles Edward Stuart and the 1745 rebellion. Included in the museum's folk exhibits are a costume and tartan display and an excellent collection of Jacobite relics. One of the most intriguing objects here is a tray decorated with a distorted image of Bonnie Prince Charlie that only becomes visible when reflected in a wine glass or goblet. This elaborate ruse enabled clandestine supporters among the nobility to raise a (treasonous) toast without fear of discovery.

The tallest mountain in the British Isles, 4,411-foot Ben Nevis looms over Fort William, less than 4 miles from Loch Linnhe. A trek to its summit is a rewarding experience, but you should be fit and well prepared—food and water, map and compass, first-aid kit, whistle, hat, gloves, and warm clothing (yes, even in summer), as well as insect spray for midges—as the unpredictable weather can make it a hazardous hike. Ask for advice at the local tourist office before you begin.

The canal, which links the lochs of the Great Glen—Loch Lochy, Loch Oich, and Loch Ness—owes its origins to a combination of military and political pressures that emerged at the time of the Napoleonic Wars with France. In short: Britain needed a better and faster way to move naval vessels from one side of Scotland to the other. The great Scottish engineer Thomas Telford (1757–1834) surveyed the route in 1803, taking advantage of the three lochs that lie in the Great Glen and have a combined length of 45 miles, so that only 22 miles of canal had to be constructed to connect the lochs and complete the waterway from coast to coast. After 19 years, the canal, with its 29 locks and 42 gates, was open and ready for action. Travel along the canal today and stunning vistas open up: mountains, lochs, and glens, and to the south, the profile of Ben Nevis. At the visitor center in Fort Augustus, you can learn all about this historic engineering feat and take a picturesque walk along the towpath.

Not far from Culloden Moor, on a narrow road southeast of the battlefield, are the Clava Cairns, dating from the Bronze Age. In a cluster among the trees, these stones and monuments form a large ring with underground passage graves that are reached via a tunnel. Helpful placards put everything into historical context.

This fascinating, self-sufficient community project began in 1962 and is still going strong 60 years later. Dedicated to developing "new ways of living infused with spiritual values," the ecovillage draws its power from wind turbines, local farms, and gardens. You can wander around the village yourself for free, pick up a book for a self-guided tour (£7), or join a thought-provoking guided tour (£8, times and days vary by season so check the website) at the visitor center. The latter offers the most insight into the lives of the ultra-independent villagers, as well as a peek at some fascinating architectural quirks, from homes built out of whisky barrels to the Universal Hall, filled with beautiful engraved glass. Elsewhere, the Phoenix Shop sells organic foods and handmade crafts, and the Blue Angel Café serves organic and vegetarian fare. It's a short stroll from the ecovillage to Findhorn, with its pretty harbor and popular beach.

One of the most striking monuments in Britain, this 1815 tower overlooking Loch Shiel commemorates the place where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard. Note, however, that the figure on the top is a Highlander, not the prince himself. The story of his ill-fated campaign is told in the nearby visitor center. The view down Loch Shiel from the Glenfinnan Monument is one of the most photographed in Scotland.

The 1,248-foot-long Glenfinnan Viaduct was a genuine wonder when it was built in 1897, and it remains so today. The railway's contractor, Robert MacAlpine (known among locals as "Concrete Bob"), pioneered the use of concrete for bridges when his company built the Mallaig extension, which opened in 1901. In more recent times the viaduct became famous for its appearance in the Harry Potter films. The viaduct can be seen on foot; about ½ mile west of the railway station in Glenfinnan, on the A380 road, is a small parking lot. Take the footpath from here; you'll reach the viaduct in about ½ mile. If you time it right, usually at 11 am, 1:15 pm, 3:15 pm, and 6 pm (confirm times at westcoastrailways.co.uk), you'll see the iconic Jacobite Steam Train crossing the bridge.

One of Inverness's few historic landmarks is reddish-sandstone Inverness Castle (now the local Sheriff Court), nestled above the river off Castle Road on Castle Hill. The current structure is Victorian, built after a former fort was blown up by the Jacobites in the 1745 campaign. The castle isn't open to the public, but you are free to wander the grounds.

The small but excellent Inverness Museum and Art Gallery covers archaeology, art, local history, and the natural environment in its lively displays. The museum is also home to the Highland Photographic Archive.

This beautifully atmospheric loch, which starts 3½ miles southeast of Mallaig, is the deepest of all the Scottish lochs (more than 1,000 feet). In fact, the next deepest point is miles out into the Atlantic, beyond the continental shelf. Loch Morar is also said to have a resident monster, Morag, which undoubtedly gets less recognition than its famous cousin, Nessie. Whether that means you have more chance of getting her to appear for a photo, we can't say. You can drive part way along the northern edge of the loch on a small, unnamed side road; to get there, turn off the main A830 road onto the B8008 just south of Morar, then turn right again.

From the A82 you get some spectacular views of the formidable Loch Ness, which has a greater volume of water than any other British lake, a maximum depth of more than 800 feet, and—perhaps you've already heard?—a famous monster. Early travelers who passed this way included General Wade (1673–1748), who, prior to destroying much of Hadrian's Wall in England, came to dig a road up the loch's eastern shore; English lexicographer Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709–84), who remarked at the time about the poor condition of the population and the squalor of their homes; and travel writer and naturalist Thomas Pennant (1726–98), who noted that the loch kept the locality frost-free in winter. None of these observant early travelers ever made mention of a monster. Clearly, they had not read the local guidebooks.

Set in the heart of Abernethy Forest, 3 miles east of Boat of Garten, the Loch Garten Osprey Centre offers a glimpse of the large fishing birds that come here to breed. The reserve, one of the last stands of ancient Scots pines in Scotland, attracts a host of other birds, too, including the bright crossbill and the crested tit. You might also spot the rarely seen red squirrel. The sanctuary is administered by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).

Looking like a ruined castle on a mound, Ruthven Barracks is redolent with tales of "the '45," as the last Jacobite rebellion is often called. The defeated Jacobite forces rallied here after the Battle of Culloden, but they then abandoned and blew up the government outpost they had earlier captured. You'll see its crumbling, yet imposing, stone outline as you approach. Most come by car—there's a small car park across the road—but it's also walkable from Kingussie in about 20 minutes.

This handsome Victorian cathedral, dating from 1869, has two unique claims to fame: in addition to being the northernmost cathedral in the British Isles, it was, more significantly, the first cathedral to be built in Britain after the Reformation. The twin-turreted exterior of the building is made from characteristically reddish local Tarradale stone. Inside, it follows a medieval layout, with the addition of an unusual patterned wooden floor. Check out the beautiful white marble font, carved in the shape of a seated angel.

At the eastern end of Forres stands Sueno's Stone, a 22-foot-tall pillar of stone carved with the ranks of soldiers from some long-forgotten battle. Nobody can quite agree on how old it is or what battle it marked, but its intricate Pictish carvings suggest it is from the early medieval period, probably erected between AD 600 and 1000.