Inverness places

[Tom]

hello,

A couple of days before new years eve my wife and me will go to Inverness and stay there for a week or so.
Does anyone has helpfull tips on places to visit?

Pubs and everything related with whisky would be very much appreciated. We will travel on foot or public transport.

[Lawrence]

Tom, watch out for Inverness on any Saturday night or New Year's Eve, the place is a complete mad house. I don't know if you have picked a hotel yet but try and stay on the 'far' side of the river across from the castle, it's quieter and there are a nice selection of hotels.

As for pubs, there are tons of reveiws on google if you do a search for "inverness Pubs" or failing that I'm sure TattieHeid knows of a few good ones.

I don't know if you've been to Inverness before but I can say it's very pretty and has lots to do, with most things being quite close.

[Spirit of Islay]

Pop into the Inverness "The Whisky Shop" , sure Scott will point you in the right direction .

[Deactivated Member]

I appreciate your confidence, Lawrence, but I really don't know Inverness that well. It was the first place I ever stayed in Scotland, other than my friend's house in Dunfermline, and I had a bit of a bad experience. I found a street full of B&Bs and went knocking on doors. The following conversation was repeated a half a dozen times:

TH: Do you have a room for tonight?
Little Old Lady: For how many?
TH: Just me.
LOL: No, sorry.

Finally a door was answered by a canny Scotsman (who bore a peculiar resemblance to Michael Palin's unctuous salesman type), who knew very well that he wasn't going to fill that triple room at 8:00pm anyway. The whole thing put me off Inverness, and I never returned until just this past year. (I book almost everything ahead now.) And I'll say here and now that it's a lovely town, really, but I've only really spent a day or two there.

As well, when I'm looking for a pub, I am much more concerned ( blasphemy alert ) with getting good beer than with getting a good selection of malts. I love a place like the Bow in Edinburgh, where I can have both, but I'm happier with a pint of Deuchar's and the Classic Six than I am with 150 malts and John Smith's Smooth. For many of my favorite pubs, I could not even tell you if they had much of a malt selection (although usually I remember if they do).

That said, I liked both Blackfriar's and the Phoenix. Just went back over my trip diary, and I didn't say much about either--I was trying to catch up on the previous days' visit in Norway. And I'll second the Whisky Shop. I spent overnight pondering a bottle of Douglas Laing Platinum Brora, and when I returned to buy it at 10:00 the next morning, I was offered a sample of their own bottling of a 17yo Laphroaig. Sneaky bastards! Everything tastes great at 10:00am, and the Laphroaig was a stunner. So of course, I bought both.

Lawrence, I don't know especially about Inverness, but I've noticed Saturday Night Syndrome in towns all over the British Isles; it's really important in some places to know where you're going to be on Saturday night. It's definitely binge drinking night. Early in the evening, all the kids come out of the woodwork, laughing and singing and skipping up the street and slapping one another on the back. A few hours later, they head the other way, crying and vomiting and stumbling down the street and pounding each other in the face. I always try to stay Friday and Saturday in the same town, anyway, as the B&Bs feel better about blocking them, so that gives me Friday to scout out a quiet pub for Saturday, if necessary.

Tom, there are some nice B&Bs on Ness Bank, along the river, on the 'near' side and close to the rail station and about everything else, for that matter, but in a relatively quiet area. I can pm you a recommendation if you want.

[Tom]

Yes Mr T, feel free to pm me, we are not sure yet as where to stay, might be B&B, but it might aswell be a youth hostel. We love going there for the atmosphere and you really get to meet people fast this way. Plus its the cheapest way to stay the night.

We went to Inverness before and coincidently spent an evening in Blackfriars. However it was quite calm there. Also visited the Whiskyshop and bought probably the same Laphroaig as you did Mr T.

Lawrence, you sound like you were there on a saturday or a new years eve. Where did you go to? And I agree with both you and mr T's comments, I like Inverness alot and thats why we want to spend Hogsmany there.

[SpiritofShetland]

For whisky, the Glen Ord Distillery is close by - and Dalmore is not that far off (Black isle Brewery is on the way also).

As for pubs I can mention a few:
* Blackfriars Traditional Ale House
* Hootananny Cèilidh Bar
* Heathmount Inn - Hotelbar with both malts and real ale.

[The Dazzler]

Tom,

a few places for you to look out for in Inverness:

McNabs- Whisky Bar within the Columba Hotel of the river bank, (biggest range in Inverness)

Glenmorriston Hotel- also on the river

You can also eat in the restaurant which once was Millburn distillery, (sad I know for a distillery to be used in this way, they have loads of memoriabelia around tho for some interesting viewing). This is on Millburn road.

If you can catch a lift to nearby Fortrose you could visit the Anderson Hotel and the Clachnaharry for more whisky selections.

And I`m sure you could have a dram or 2 at The Whisky Shop.

Slainte