Malcolm and Maggie Allan moved to Inverness in 2018. They’re loving their new life running a guest house and self-catering business. Malcolm shares his tips for things to do near Inverness and in the city itself. He tells you some great places to eat and where to get the best view of Loch Ness.
Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness
We moved to Inverness in April 2018 to run a small business that includes a 5-bedroom guest house and one self-catering apartment in the centre of Inverness. I moved from the IT industry into hospitality and Maggie moved from education into hospitality, so it has been a massive, but hugely rewarding change in career and direction.
The pleasure of welcoming guests to Inverness and to the guest house has been amazing and thoroughly enjoyable. We are delighted with the feedback that we have received from our guests and in the second season had the pleasure of welcoming both new and returning guests.
We enjoy walking, cycling, eating out and socialising. Keeping us company at Pitfaranne is a 12 year old Labradoodle called Cassie that also enjoys speaking to and welcoming our guests and a not so welcoming 15 year old cat called Lily (our daughter named her after Lily Allen), which is kept well away from guests.
We have lived in Inverness for 2 years and moved here to have a lifestyle change to run our own small business in the Capital of the Highlands. We moved up to Inverness from Fife where we lived in Cupar for 26 years. We are now going into our third season and so far have loved every minute.
There are many beautiful beaches in the Highlands and Islands a couple that are special to us are:
Ness Islands in the River Ness
There are loads of choices for walks in and around Inverness:
Summer, with all the visitors it provides a fantastic mix of cultures and nationalities and it’s a delight to see them all come together in Inverness City.
Stay in Inverness for more than one night and use it as a base to explore the surrounding areas.
Red squirrels in Inverness, salmon at Rogie falls and dolphins at Chanonry Point on the Black Isle.
North Coast 500 especially the west coast. The scenery is stunning and you see parts of Scotland that are a rare and very unique experience.
Loch Ness from Dores
The road down the east side of Loch Ness, just after Dores the road goes up around 700 feet and at the top of the hill it provides a stunning view down Loch Ness.
There are many great restaurants in Inverness, a couple that stand out are:
Inverness is also great for getting to the Speyside whisky trail and experiencing the abundance of great malt whisky that is available. Further afield we also love going to Islay and Tayvallich on the west coast of Scotland for their natural beauty and, of course, a wee dram on Islay.
Thanks for sharing such great recommendations for things to do near Inverness. The places to eat out sound amazing. I love Indian food and whisky so I think a night out in Inverness would be brilliant.
Website: www.pitfaranne.com
Photos © Pitfaranne Guest House
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If you want more insider knowledge we have lots more locals and Scotland enthusiasts sharing their advice about things to do in our Inverness, Loch Ness and Black Isle travel guide including: