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 www.visitbeauly.com
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 cruise along the Caledonian
Canal to Loch Ness, see
www.jacobitecruises.co.uk
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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