Inverness by Motorhome: City Guide

Things to do when you stop in Inverness

Loch Ness is the obvious draw, and Urquhart Castle on its shore is the classic stop, with motorhome parking in the car park, though it gets busy in peak season. East of the city, Culloden Battlefield and the 4,000-year-old Clava Cairns a mile beyond it make a sobering, fascinating afternoon, both with parking for larger vehicles. In the city itself, the Ness Islands are a quiet riverside walk you would never guess was minutes from the centre, and the Caledonian Canal towpath is good for stretching the legs. With time to spare, head out to Chanonry Point on the Black Isle, one of the best places in Britain to watch bottlenose dolphins from the shore, an hour or two after low tide.

Campsites in and around Inverness

• Bught Park (in the city). Council-run site by the River Ness and the Ness Islands, about a 15-minute walk from the centre.
• Bunchrew (Beauly Firth). Three miles west on the shore of the Beauly Firth, with electric hook-up pitches, hardstandings and a shingle beach.
• Ness Side (Club site). A Camping and Caravanning Club site just south of the city, handy for Loch Ness; your Atlas hire includes Club membership.

Inverness and the NC500

Inverness is where the North Coast 500 begins and ends, which makes it the natural place to get the van sorted before or after the loop: fuel, a big shop, fresh water, emptying the tanks, a laundry run. Our NC500 route planner covers the full circuit, and the NC500 campsites guide sets out where to stop each night. Getting to Inverness in the first place is half the fun: from the Glasgow depot it is the A82 up through Loch Lomond and Glencoe, a first day worth taking slowly.

Inverness, answered

Where can I park a motorhome in Inverness?

Bught Caravan Park is the central option, by the River Ness and a short walk from town. The big attractions, Urquhart Castle, Culloden and Fort George, have car parks that take motorhomes, though they fill up in summer.

Is Inverness a good base for the NC500?

Ideal. The loop starts and ends here, so it is the perfect place to stock up, refuel and empty the tanks before you set off or after you finish. Stay at Bught in the city, Bunchrew on the firth, or the Ness Side Club site just south.

What is worth seeing around Inverness?

Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle, Culloden Battlefield and the Clava Cairns, the Ness Islands walk in the city, and the dolphins at Chanonry Point on the Black Isle.

Routes and campsite guides nearby

Routes: the NC500 route, the NE250, the Outer Hebrides. Campsite guides: NC500 campsites, Cairngorms and Speyside campsites.

More city guides

Explore the rest: Glasgow, Edinburgh, Fort William, Stirling, Aberdeen, Dundee. See them all under city guides.