getting to Inverness & the scottish highlands

Getting to Inverness, and travelling around the rest of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland from there, is easy.

There are 6 daily flights, a daily train service and a daily over night sleeper service form London and the south, a selection of flights to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Shetland, Stornoway, Bristol, Belfast and the midlands and south of England – and an excellent road network from all parts of the British mainland and throughout the highlands.

By road form the South, Perth and Edinburgh – The first stop is the village of Dalwhinnie, the highest Highland village at 1,173ft (358m) above sea level. Dalwhinnie Distillery is one of the few and most prominent buildings and the first of many whisky distillers that stand close to the banks of the River Spey. It contains a small visitor centre showing the social history of the village as well as offering visitors a welcomed and warming dram.

This area's history was most noticeably affected with the arrival of General Wade and his squad of road builders in July 1724. By December of that year he had finished his survey of the central Highlands and reported his plans to 'reduce the Highlands to obedience'. Roads and bridges were built between barracks to facilitate better communication of 'His Majesty's troops' and between 1725 and 1735, 250 miles (402km) of relatively good surfaces were laid. Today, the A9 is the main North Road, a fast-flowing combination of dual and single carriageway that is notorious for thoughtless drivers in a hurry to reach Inverness or Perth in the opposite direction. A new scheme of 'speed cameras' is helping to restrain those with a 'heavy foot' but care should always be taken on this route.

Inverness 's international airport is served by a number of major carriers providing an extensive network of routes throughout the UK, direct to Europe and worldwide through major hubs. British destinations include three of the four main London airports (Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton), Manchester, Newcastle, Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol and Norwich, as well as the Scottish Highlands and Islands. Major continental destinations include Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Stavanger.

Inverness Airport

Inverness Airport is the air gateway for the Highlands and Islands of Scotland and handles more than 330 scheduled flights a week to Scottish and UK destinations. It is the largest of 10 airports serving the region operated by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited.

Scheduled flights operate daily to Inverness from London Gatwick, London Heathrow, London Luton, Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stornoway in the Western Isles, Kirkwall in Orkney and Sumburgh in Shetland.

The airport is located 9 miles east of the City of Inverness just off the main A96 trunk road and its facilities include on site car hire, restaurant and bar, shop, and 650 pay car parking spaces. Taxis are available at the airport and buses operate to and from the airport terminal to Inverness city centre and towns to the east.

For all travel, operators, flights and other information regarding the airport, look at http://www.hial.co.uk/inverness-airport.html