The Local Glens
Aigas lies beside the peaceful river Beauly at the foot of Strathglass,
a wide valley with a flat fertile floor met by steep heather-clad
and wooded hillsides. The river meanders gently along the length of
the valley from Fasnakyle, passing the villages of Cannich and Struy
on the way.
Five miles west of Aigas near Struy, you can explore the National
Nature Reserve of Glen
Strathfarrar.
Here, one of the largest
remnants of ancient Caledonian Pine forests can be found and some
of the huge population of Red Deer may be seen. From the village of
Cannich, remote Glen Cannich may be explored leading to Loch Mullardoch,
which has one of the largest dams in Britain.
A few miles further west of Cannich lies Glen
Affric, another National Nature Reserve, internationally renowned
for its outstanding natural beauty.
The Glen Urquhart route east passes the Corriemony burial chamber
(built 2000BC) and heads for the bustling village of Drumnadrochit
and the ever beckoning call of mysterious Loch
Ness.
Travel in the opposite direction from Aigas through Beauly and Muir of Ord and a short drive will take you to Strathconon, which featured in A Glen for all Seasons on ITV. All the local glens have a beauty of their own and have much to offer the visitor.
Beauly
Five miles away, Beauly lives up to
the origins of its name - it really is a beautiful village, former winner
of Britain in Bloom and has a wide range of shops, crafts, restaurants
and hotels.
The 13th century Priory on
the eastern edge of the village, along with the floral displays, provide
the old market square with a stunning backdrop.
Adjacent to the square is the new Beauly Visitor Centre which provides
local history information and an interesting weaving exhibition. Pipe
bands and Highland dancing can also be enjoyed on Thursday evenings
during the summer months.
At the other side of the village
you will find House of Beauly,
a superb centre for Scottish arts, crafts and food products.
The newly reinstated railway station has the shortest platform in the
UK. Scenic rail trips can be taken from here to the north and west coasts.
See
Inverness
The new Millenium city and Highland
capital is 17 miles away and has a generous range of specialist shops
that sell all the traditional products - tartans, tweeds, whiskies etc.
Superb city centre shopping can be found in the newly extended Eastgate
shopping centre, Victorian style Market Arcade and the pedestrianised
High Street.
One feature of Inverness that all visitors love is the fast flowing
River Ness with its dark waters running through the middle of the city.
There is a good range of visitor attractions here in the form of art
galleries, a Sports Centre (with climbing wall) and Aquadome (with flumes
and wave pool), cinemas, museum, theatre and the Bught Floral Hall.
On the western edge of the city you can take a boat ride with Jacobite
Cruises along the Caledonian Canal to Loch Ness.
Coastline and beaches
On the east coast, boat trips can be taken from Inverness Harbour (and
Cromarty on the Black Isle) to spot the Moray Firth Dolphins.
Good beaches can be found within an hours drive at Nairn and Dornoch.
Some of the more remote west coast beaches are also easily accessible
- Gruinard, Gairloch and Redpoint (90 minutes drive)
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