Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle & Culloden Battlefield

We drive alongside the Cromarty Firth from Invergordon, or over the Kessock Bridge from Inverness with views of the Beauly and Moray Firths, to Beauly Priory.

Beauly Priory is one of three priories founded in Scotland in about 1230 for monks of the Valliscaulian order. The Valliscaulians came from Val-des-Choux (‘Valley of the Cabbages’) near Dijon in France, and adhered to strict ideals of poverty, chastity and obedience. Beauly, meaning ‘beautiful place’, must have seemed to the monks a wonderful location in which to devote themselves to worship. Only the abbey church still stands today, housing some fine funerary monuments.

Discover more than 1,000 years of stirring history centred on the Great Glen. The magnificently situated Urquhart Castle, on the shore of Loch Ness, has seen some of the most dramatic chapters in our nation’s story. Once one of Scotland’s largest castles, Urquhart saw great conflict during its 500 years as a medieval fortress. Control of the castle passed back and forth between the Scots and English during the Wars of Independence. The power struggles continued, as the Lords of the Isles regularly raided both castle and glen up until the 1500s. The last of the government troops garrisoned here during the Jacobite Risings blew up the castle when they left. Urquhart’s iconic ruins remain, offering glimpses into medieval times and the lives of its noble residents.

- The Hill of The Faeries (Tomnahurich Hill) - Caledonian canal - River Ness - Inverness Cathedral - The Old High Church and graveyard - Inverness' oldest buildings

Cawdor Castle with its iron yet gate, moat & drawbridge, turrets, turnpike stairs and vaulted 16th century kitchen is steeped in intrigue and history. This ancient medieval tower house built for the 3rd Thane of Cawdor has been home to over 23 generations of the Cawdor family. Explore 12 principal rooms of this unique home containing collections of Rare Tapestries, Fine Art, Furniture, Ceramics and Sculpture spanning 3,500 years. Take time to enjoy the wonderful gardens too

Discover one of Scotland’s most evocative prehistoric sites – the exceptional remains of an ancient cemetery, set on a terrace above the River Nairn. The Clava Cairns are about 4,000 years old and were built to house the dead. The cemetery remained a sacred place in the landscape for millennia, and provides many clues to the beliefs of Bronze Age society. What remains today would have once been part of a larger complex. The sites contain a range of prehistoric burial monuments and the remains of a medieval chapel.

On 16 April 1746, the final Jacobite Rising came to a brutal head in one of the most harrowing battles in British history. Jacobite supporters, seeking to restore the Stuart monarchy to the British thrones, gathered to fight the Duke of Cumberland’s government troops. It was the last pitched battle on British soil and, in less than an hour, around 1,600 men were slain – 1,500 of them Jacobites. The richly researched, stimulating and sensitive Culloden Visitor Centre, which stands beside the battlefield, features artefacts from both sides of the battle and interactive displays that reveal the background to the conflict. It is both a monument and a guide to a pivotal day in history. Experience the powerful emotions of the Battle of Culloden in our visitor centre’s 360-degree battle immersion theatre, which puts you right in the heart of the action. NB admission to the battlefield is free; there is a charge for the exhibition (recommended)