7. Cairngorms National Park: wild nature at your fingertips<\/h3> \t\t

Distance from Inverness: 65 km (1h) to the park entrance<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cairngorms National Park is the largest national park in the UK<\/strong>: 4500 km\u00b2 of wilderness. Mountains, ancient forests, deep lochs, crystal-clear rivers... This is Scotland in its purest form.<\/p>\n

From Inverness, you can easily visit the northern part<\/strong> of the park in a day. The road takes you through spectacular landscapes: deep valleys, rounded peaks, and Caledonian pine forests.<\/p>\n

What to do in the Cairngorms<\/strong><\/p>\n

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• Drive through the park<\/strong>: the road itself is spectacular<\/li>\n
• Hiking<\/strong>: dozens of trails for all levels<\/li>\n
• Wildlife watching<\/strong>: deer, golden eagles, red squirrels<\/li>\n
• Charming villages<\/strong>: Grantown-on-Spey, Tomintoul, Ballater<\/li>\n
• Balmoral Castle<\/strong>: summer residence of the royal family (if open)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

  Villages not to miss<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  • Grantown-on-Spey<\/strong>: a charming little town by the River Spey, perfect for a coffee break.<\/li>\n
  • Tomintoul<\/strong>: the highest village in the Highlands (345m), with local shops and traditional pubs.<\/li>\n
  • Ballater<\/strong>: a royal village near Balmoral Castle, featuring the Royal Lochnagar distillery and lovely shops.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Our practical tips<\/strong><\/p>\n

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    • Full day<\/strong>: plan for a whole day to traverse the park<\/li>\n
    • Fill up<\/strong>: gas stations are rare in the park<\/li>\n
    • Changing weather<\/strong>: dress in layers<\/li>\n
    • Season<\/strong>: accessible year-round, stunning in autumn<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n\t <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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      8. Inverness itself: the capital of the Highlands<\/h3> \t\t

      At the Heart of the City<\/strong><\/p>\n

      There's a lot of talk about the surroundings, but Inverness deserves some attention too. This charming city of 47,000 residents is small and very pleasant to explore on foot.<\/p>\n

      What to See in Inverness<\/strong><\/p>\n

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      • Inverness Castle<\/strong>: perched on a hill, it offers a lovely view of the city and the River Ness. The current building dates back to the 19th century (the original was destroyed). You can't visit the interior (it's a courthouse), but the view from the esplanade is worth it.<\/li>\n
      • The River Ness<\/strong>: a pleasant walk along the banks, with several picturesque bridges. On a nice day, it's the perfect spot for a picnic.<\/li>\n
      • Victorian Market<\/strong>: a covered market with local shops, crafts, and cafes. An authentic atmosphere, not touristy.<\/li>\n
      • St Andrew's Cathedral<\/strong>: a beautiful neo-Gothic cathedral from the 19th century on the banks of the Ness.<\/li>\n
      • The Pubs<\/strong>: Inverness has excellent traditional pubs for a whisky or a pint of local beer.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Why Stay in Inverness<\/strong><\/p>\n

        Inverness is an excellent base<\/strong> for exploring the Highlands without changing accommodation every night. Settle in for 2-3 nights and radiate outwards: Loch Ness one day, Culloden and Cawdor another, the Cairngorms on the third.<\/p>\n

        The city has all the services: supermarkets, restaurants, pubs, and shops. After days on the roads of the Highlands, it's nice to find a bit of civilization.<\/p>\n

        Our Practical Tips<\/strong><\/p>\n

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        • 2-3 nights<\/strong>: the ideal duration to explore the area<\/li>\n
        • Everything on foot<\/strong>: the city center is easily walkable<\/li>\n
        • Supermarkets<\/strong>: Tesco and Sainsbury's in town for your shopping<\/li>\n
        • Atmosphere<\/strong>: an authentic city, not sanitized for tourists<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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          Inverness: the perfect gateway to the Highlands<\/h2> \t\t

          Inverness is not the most spectacular destination<\/strong> in Scotland. It\u2019s not Edinburgh with its majestic castle, nor the Isle of Skye with its fairy-tale landscapes.<\/p>\n

          But it\u2019s the perfect base<\/strong>. In 30 minutes, you can be at Loch Ness. In 15 minutes, you can be at a historic battlefield. In 1 hour, you can be in the largest national park in the UK.<\/p>\n

          These 8 experiences<\/strong> around Inverness give you a complete insight into the Highlands: tragic history, medieval castles, wild nature, spectacular waterfalls, and mysterious legends.<\/p>\n

          With 2-3 days based in Inverness, you can check off all these sites without stress, without rushing, really enjoying each place.<\/p>\n

          So, ready to explore the Highlands from Inverness?<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n\t <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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          <\/i><\/div>\n

          \n Discover Scotland Nomads, <\/strong>\n and its itinerary that takes you everywhere \ud83d\ude99<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":159,"featured_media":3053,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3054","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","team-member-sophie","blog-category-highlights"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sn.travelblox.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3054","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sn.travelblox.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sn.travelblox.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sn.travelblox.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/159"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sn.travelblox.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3054"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/sn.travelblox.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3054\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3071,"href":"https:\/\/sn.travelblox.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3054\/revisions\/3071"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sn.travelblox.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sn.travelblox.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}