Places in the Interior

Elevated view along the Caledonian Canal’s lock staircase at Fort Augustus, with bridges, village buildings and the River Oich alongside.

Fort Augustus: where the road moves for the boats

One moment you are crossing the Caledonian Canal. The next, the barriers descend and the road swings sideways to let a yacht sail straight through it. Welcome to one of the busiest and most entertaining villages in the Highlands.

A smiling wooden friar holds a carved cup in Beauly

Beauly, an alternative start and end point to Inverness

After a long day getting to the Highlands, I’d leave my bags in Beauly and cross the square for supper.

Vintage poster reading “Sweet Strathpeffer Spa” and “The Highland Resort”, showing the village among wooded hills.

Strathpeffer: once a spa town but much quieter now

People came by train to drink sulphur water at seven in the morning. They called it taking the cure.