Inverness

The city of Inverness or Inbhir Nis in the Scottish Gaelic straddles the River Ness not far from Scotland's most famous landmark, the Loch Ness. Inverness is one of the largest towns in the highlands and serves as the capital for the region. It has a bit of an industrial feel to it due to the presence of a lot of big farm supply centres on the outskirts of town, and there's not really a whole lot to see and do in Inverness itself. But the centre of town is lovely and has plenty of little shops to peruse, and Inverness is a convenient stopping point with lots of B&Bs in the centre of the Highlands, and there are lots of things to see and do just a short drive away, including Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle, and Culloden Battlefield.

But what Inverness _does_ have is a totally awesome traditional pub by the name of Hootananny.

Hootananny has been listed as one of the best pubs in Scotland for traditional music- and the musicians are there every night, with locals and tourists alike packing the place. We were there on a Tuesday night and it was pretty much standing room only.

Not only were the musicians good, they were set up at the table in the middle of the pub, drinking, playing and talking to the crowd. Most "traditional music bars" treat the music as sort of a gimmick, with the musicians trundled off into a corner, but here, they were very much the centre of the show, with more people showing up to play as the night went on. It was a great time- highly recommended. Also highly recommended- Sammy's Indian cuisine, just down the road from Hootananny. There are also a number of kiltmakers and gift shops in the area, typically with better prices than Edinburgh. I was totally kicking myself because I found the exact same scarf I'd bought in Edinburgh for a fair bit less. If you're really interested in kilts, check out the Highland House of Fraser.

They have a large showroom/gift shop, but they also house the Scottish Kiltmaker Visitor Centre, where for a small fee you can learn all about the history of kilts, how to wear one properly, and how they are made in a little museum.

So that's Inverness. Stay tuned for the aforementioned more exciting things to do in the area.