Inverness

It's a city which has soared in the consciousness of the great British public in recent years – now it could be the turn of the fantastically varied region that surrounds it.

The city itself is now widely recognised as an excellent place to visit, to live and to do business. It has a busy airport with expanding connections, a growing marina, fast improving educational opportunities and a wealth of high-end shops, hotels and restaurants. Even the football team, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, is on a high. But the city’s hinterland – whether north to the Black Isle, west towards Ullapool, east towards Nairn and points beyond or south alongside Loch Ness or into Strathspey – is in turn winning wider acclaim.

Within an hour of Inverness there are experiences to be had, and sights to see, that will not be quickly forgotten.

Whale and dolphin watching

On the Moray Firth, wildlife watching, a growing strand of tourism worldwide, is as good as it gets, certainly in a UK context. Bottlenose dolphins, minke whales, basking sharks, porpoises and seabirds aplenty can be seen from any number of commercial craft. These are operated, in the vast majority of cases, in a sensitive and sustainable way by companies keen to provide information and understanding rather than a mere spectacle. Having said that, as memorable moments go, there is little to top the sight of a school of dolphins playing just feet from your boat.

Bill Ruck, who runs Moray Diving and Wildlife Cruises, says: “Sometimes the excitement goes through the roof.”

He says the dolphins, of which there are nearly 200 in the Firth, become more playful when there are children on board his boat, swimming in close, slapping the surface with their chins and pushing each other boisterously.

Ospreys and Polar Bears

Ospreys were among the species responsible for the massive upsurge in bird-watching when they began nesting at the top of a Scots Pine beside Loch Garten in Strathspey in the 1950s. They became a potent symbol of conservation, and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has since welcomed more than two million visitors to its reserve there, including 32,000 last year alone.

These fish-eating raptors return to the loch every year, as well as to other nest sites in the region, but they are by no means the only birds that attract enthusiasts. Insh Marshes, near Kingussie, is a great place to watch waders such as snipe and redshank. Coastal reserves such as Culbin Sands and Udale Bay come into their own in winter, when you may spot large numbers of spectacular ducks such as the pintail, wigeon or velvet scoter, but they are atmospheric spots at any time. High ground in the Cairngorms and Monadhliaths is the place to look for species such as the golden eagle and ptarmigan, while forests such as Rothiemurchus are home to the Scottish crossbill and crested tit.

Wildlife, alas, cannot be relied upon to be there exactly when you want to see it – unless, that is you visit the Highland Wildlife Park at Kincraig. This is a serious establishment devoted to conservation, owned by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, which runs Edinburgh Zoo. It is also a superb destination for a family day out and a chance for youngsters to see Walker the polar bear, the only one in a UK public collection, as well as wildcats, elk and capercaillie. For yet more wildlife at close quarters, the Reindeer Centre near Loch Morlich, on the road between Aviemore and Cairngorm, is another popular destination. Even if most of the 150-strong reindeer herd established in the 1950s is out on the hills, there are usually one or two animals being cared for in the centre, and a daily guided walk heads out to find the rest.

Getting active

Thousands of visitors head for the area with sport, rather than wildlife, on their minds. After two excellent seasons in succession, skiing at Cairngorm is winning more and more fans, yet there is still plenty of space for its 30km of runs. The mountain railway takes you up to Britain’s highest restaurant, The Ptarmigan, at 1,097m, and both railway and restaurant have become year-round attractions in their own right.

Walkers can choose between the gentle charms of the 60-mile Speyside Way, the lonely drama of the ancient Lairig Ghru route between Braemar and Aviemore or the challenge of climbing a hill. This can mean anything from Ben Macdui, Britain’s second highest peak, to any one of the thousands of minor bumps that litter the region. An Suidhe, near Kincraig, to choose one example at random, is tiny by Highland standards yet still offers a bracing walk and excellent views.

Sailors, canoeists and windsurfers can enjoy themselves amid perfect peace and magnificent scenery at Loch Insh, Loch Morlich, or, in the case of the paddlers, along the Spey itself, where they generally maintain harmony with the anglers enjoying what is arguably the country’s top salmon and trout river. For those who like to be on the water but prefer someone else to do the steering, a number of companies offer boat trips on Loch Ness. Cyclists, too, are in their element around here, with forest tracks and back roads galore and many knowledgeable bike-hire businesses.

Golf in the region has never had a higher profile, with Castle Stuart, venue for this summer’s Barclays Scottish Open, the latest addition to a clutch of courses that rival the best in the world – those at Dornoch and Nairn being particularly fine.

Simply being in this part of the world is enough for many visitors. But there are a number of specific attractions that have caught the imagination and gone from strength to strength in recent years. Landmark, at Carrbridge, began as little more than a pleasant forest nature trail with a couple of swings and a nice cafe. It is now a lively adventure centre with water chutes to rival any theme park, a climbing tower, a maze and much more – yet the trees absorb the squeals nicely and a relaxed air prevails.

Culloden

The National Trust for Scotland’s visitor centre at Culloden battlefield, where 1,200 men died in an hour as the Jacobite dream was crushed by government troops on 16 April 1746, is a shining example of how imagination, ambition and design flare can come together to make history come alive. The moorland site itself was always an atmospheric place, but the centre, with its immersion theatre and interactive characters, gives a vivid idea of what that fateful day must have been like.

Elsewhere in the region, day-out options are legion. Drumnadrochit, where competing attractions vie rather comically for the dollars of coach-borne Nessie hunters, is at the light-hearted end of the tourist spectrum while the ancient town of Cromarty, birthplace of geologist Hugh Miller, is more dignified. For families wanting to learn about day-to-day life in a fun way, the scattered buildings and keen volunteers at the Highland Folk Museum in Newtonmore are ideal, while anyone seeking a historic house that does not take itself too seriously should head for the charming 14th-century Cawdor Castle.

Accommodation

Accommodation in this part of the world can be excellent. Glenmorangie House at Tain is intimate, historic and very special, with the emphasis on comfort, character and fine dining. Short breaks include a tour of the renowned distillery nearby. The members-only Skibo Castle is the last word in luxury while, perhaps more relevantly to most of us, the Old Manse at Invermoriston was voted Best B&B in the World by users of TripAdvisor. Excellent places to eat include The Cross, a fine restaurant with rooms at Kingussie; the Old Bridge Inn, a friendly Aviemore pub that takes its food seriously; the Dores Inn, purveying fine wine and whiskies amid scenic splendour at the northern tip of Loch Ness, and the Sutor Creek Cafe at Cromarty, which is proud to promote local produce and seafood.

Life and work

But all these delights need not be enjoyed fleetingly on a summer holiday or weekend break. The area has a great deal to commend it as a part of the country in which to live – and, depending on which source you believe, Inverness is the fastest growing city in Scotland, Britain or Europe.

Its travel-to-work area is also spreading. Improvements and dualling work on the A9 and A96 have been demanded by campaigners for years and, in places, the effort is bearing fruit – the dualled section of the A9 at Crubenmore, south of Newtonmore, is being extended, for instance. Pressure for further work will continue.

This year the UHI Millennium Institute, which has one of its main bases in Inverness, became the University of the Highlands and Islands. The new name and status can only help in attracting and retaining talent.

The Scottish Government’s commitment to renewable energy, in the form of wind, wave and tidal power, can only be good news for the region, with the former oil fabrication yards at Ardersier and Nigg both being considered for roles in this new green era. Global Energy Group, based in Inverness, is the preferred bidder for the Nigg site, where it hopes to create more than 1,500 skilled jobs in manufacturing, wind turbines and sub-sea devices.

This year the developer Roxhill signed a £30 million deal to develop more than 400,000 sq ft of land at Inverness Airport Business Park, a move expected to create more than 700 jobs within what planners have designated the A96 growth corridor.

Industrial developments and infrastructure improvements on this scale do not happen overnight – even the granting of university status to the UHI took years – but the momentum is there, and international events such as the Barclays Scottish Open can only help raise the region’s profile.

“There are all sorts of opportunities at the moment, and a lot of interest in the area,” says Kenny McInnes, economic adviser at Highland Council.

So whether your dream is to develop an international business or to raise a family in a stunningly beautiful place with a bright future, take a close look at Inverness and the region around it.