The main attraction in Inverness is a stroll along the river to the Ness Islands. Planted with mature Scots pine, fir, beech and sycamore, and linked to the riverbanks and each other by elegant Victorian footbridges, the islands make an appealing picnic spot. They're a 20-minute walk south of the castle – head upstream on either side of the river and return on the opposite bank. The path on the eastern bank is the start of the Great Glen Way.
On the west bank you'll pass the red-sandstone towers of St Andrew's Cathedral, dating from 1869, and the modern Eden Court Theatre, which hosts regular art exhibits.