Herb Riddle's photos with the keyword: Inverness

Well after journeying probably a little more than 516 miles we arrive back at our departure point of Inverness. As I stand here on the banks of the River Ness I can now look back on the many splendid highlights of this Grand Tour. I would like to thank our Ipernity friend Roger for making this virtual tour possible via his NC500 group. I have enjoyed the memories of our mini trips that we have made over the last approx 30 years and made my contributions here possible. As Roger is meeting me here too today in Inverness there is just time to have a wee dram as we consider our next Scottish holidays. CHEERS to our NC500 viewers and thanks for your company! The NC 500: The Scottish 'North Coast 500' is one of the world’s most beautiful road trips. A route of just over 500 miles (516) of stunning coastal scenery, white sandy beaches, rugged mountains, remote fishing villages and hidden gems.

Invergordon, on the Cromarty Firth as seen from the north of the Black isle. Most famous for its Highland Whisky perhaps but now also a very popular cruise ship destination from where its passengers can tour the highlands and its distilleries. This is also one of Scotland's oil and gas rig assembly centres. The NC 500: The Scottish 'North Coast 500' is one of the world’s most beautiful road trips. A route of just over 500 miles (516) of stunning coastal scenery, white sandy beaches, rugged mountains, remote fishing villages and hidden gems.

The Fairy Glen in Rosemarkie sits just north of Channery Point on the Black isle. There are a number of waterfalls here but this stunner is clearly the best of them. The NC 500: The Scottish 'North Coast 500' is one of the world’s most beautiful road trips. A route of just over 500 miles (516) of stunning coastal scenery, white sandy beaches, rugged mountains, remote fishing villages and hidden gems.

Channery Lighthouse. Channery Point is perhaps Black Isles most famous tourist hot-spot. Not for its attractive lighthouse but for the sighting of its dolphins. It is one of the best spots in the UK to view bottlenose dolphins from the land. The dolphins are often visible off Chanonry point, particularly on an incoming tide when they play and fish in the strong currents. Porpoise and seals are also seen here. We saw none but many people around us saw them! The lighthouse was established: 1846, Engineer: Alan Stevenson, Tower Height: 13 metres Light Range: 15 miles, Elevation: 12 metres, Automated: 1984 The NC 500: The Scottish 'North Coast 500' is one of the world’s most beautiful road trips. A route of just over 500 miles (516) of stunning coastal scenery, white sandy beaches, rugged mountains, remote fishing villages and hidden gems.

The Black Isle is a peninsula just to the north of Inverness and Avoch Harbour on its SE coast is a very attractive spot on the way to Channery Point, perhaps Black Isles most famous tourist hot-spot. The NC 500: The Scottish 'North Coast 500' is one of the world’s most beautiful road trips. A route of just over 500 miles (516) of stunning coastal scenery, white sandy beaches, rugged mountains, remote fishing villages and hidden gems.

The Caledonian Canal. Almost the last of the locks of this most famous canal that runs from Fort William to Inverness via Loch Ness. The big bridge behind is the Kessock Bridge carrying the A862 which would be the first and last big bridge of the whole NC500 journey. The NC 500: The Scottish 'North Coast 500' is one of the world’s most beautiful road trips. A route of just over 500 miles (516) of stunning coastal scenery, white sandy beaches, rugged mountains, remote fishing villages and hidden gems.

A look at Inverness Castle on the River Ness. Inverness Castle sits on a cliff overlooking the River Ness in Inverness, Scotland. A succession of castles have stood on this site since 1057, although the present structure dates from 1836. WiKi The NC 500: The Scottish 'North Coast 500' is one of the world’s most beautiful road trips. A route of just over 500 miles (516) of stunning coastal scenery, white sandy beaches, rugged mountains, remote fishing villages and hidden gems.

The Culloden Viaduct is a railway viaduct on the Highland Main Line, to the east of the city of Inverness, in the Highland council area of Scotland. It was designed by Murdoch Paterson and opened in 1898 as part of the Inverness and Aviemore Direct Railway, which was built by the Highland Railway. The Battle of Culloden took place on 16 April 1746, near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. A Jacobite army under Charles Edward Stuart was decisively defeated by a British government force commanded by the Duke of Cumberland, thereby ending the Jacobite rising of 1745. WiKi The NC 500: The Scottish 'North Coast 500' is one of the world’s most beautiful road trips. A route of just over 500 miles (516) of stunning coastal scenery, white sandy beaches, rugged mountains, remote fishing villages and hidden gems.

The NC 500: The Scottish 'North Coast 500' is one of the world’s most beautiful road trips. A route of just over 500 miles (516) of stunning coastal scenery, white sandy beaches, rugged mountains, remote fishing villages and hidden gems. The start and finish of this route is Inverness. Here we are at the railway station, the gateway for many on this route. However this route is by road from here on. Hang on to your hat -here we go. Official free Map download: www.northcoast500.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/NC500-Official-Map.pdf NB when we did this in 2014, the NC500 did not exist. It came into existence in 2015 Now as I set off from here I shall in fact virtually travel along the coastal route clockwise as our Ipernity friend Roger also sets off from here but will travel anti-clockwise. We aim to meet each other around Durness on the NW corner of Scotland.