Inverness city walk

Inverness seems to be a very pedestrian-friendly city, and the pedestrians certainly take advantage of it.  You can walk along the River Ness, across multiple bridges, even on the Ness Islands, right into the "city centre" (what we would call "downtown"), by homes and businesses old and new, almost always well-planned, well-landscaped, and thoughtfully set out just as you would want them to be if you had planned them for your own pleasure.  You can visit an actual castle, which now holds courts, with a spectacular view of what lies beyond.

A view from Inverness Castle

Inverness, the unofficial capital of the Highlands, gives the impression of being more cosmopolitan than its population of only around 60,000 would lead you to assume, but I suppose the world is simply a smaller place these days, no matter where you go.  International influences and cultural opportunities abound, and it seems it even has a special niche where weather is concerned, at least in winter, usually shrugging off the worst of what areas to the south and west have to endure.

Finally, it is intimately surrounded by so much natural beauty - forests, mountains, coastline, lakes and rivers - that it would take a lifetime to explore it all.

It is truly a very particular paradise.