I'm seriously considering relocating to the Inverness area for work.
My only experience of the place is passing through on the bike this summer and being treated to lunch at the Velocity cafe by three lovely locals who I met cycling in from Beauly.
So my question is, what's it like?

We seriously considered it when relocating from the outskirts of Edinburgh. We have friends there so know it fairly well. IN the end, we decided it was still too big a town for us, hence we ended up in Aviemore.

Has all the facilities you need but can be walked across in a couple of hours. Popular with tourists which therefore sustains quite a bit of cafe culture and decent restaurants. A few good pubs too. Can be a bit provincial (if you hear the locals talking about "traffic jams" you'll know what I mean). Obviously fantastic access to all the outdoor pursuits you can dream of. Lots of cycle commuting going on - I was very surprised. I was working in (but really from) Inverness for three years. Weather/climate is milder than you might imagine due to the proximity to the sea. A selection of decent small towns surrounding it if you don't mind the commute, though the Kessock Bridge can be a wee bit of a bottleneck at peak times.

My first wife was from Inverness, we got married in the registry office under the multi-storey car park if I remember correctly.

It didn't work out brilliantly, and I have only been back once since

I lived just north of Inverness for about 7 years. Its the biggest town in the area. Is well situated to reach outdoor hotspots like Aviemore and Ullapool over on the west coast and has all the shops, ammenities and transport links of a big town. It has a good mixture of tourist stuff and local stuff as well as its own rough areas like any other town. Aviemore as has been mentioned is much more scenic but much smaller and be prepared to get snowed in. I found Inverness to becthe best of both worlds. Big town but in a very scenic area.

My Parents (and I got married) in Nairn, just along the coast
It’s known for its softer And very mild climate, with a nickname of ‘The Brighton of the North’ For good reason
From Nairn your only 20mins into Inverness, Aviemore is under an hour. And Ullapool hour and a half. So very easy to get to he hills

Moved here 7 years ago, live in beauly. You don't move here for the opportunities you move here for everything around here. Love it

Can be a bit provincial (if you hear the locals talking about "traffic jams" you'll know what I mean).

The (understandable) lack of road infrastructure means that if there’s an accident on the A9 north then traffic is diverted through town and everything grinds to a standstill. The bridge (canal) can cause 1/2-3/4 hour tailbacks on Kenneth St. ask me how I know....

I’ve lived on the Black Isle for coming on 4 years now, working in the centre of Inverness.

During peak tourist season (normally April - October) it gets packed out in the centre. Muppets everywhere, some stopped, open mouthed in the middle road on the Bridge... the highlands was mobbed out by every fecker (and their dog) in their camper vans last year (I stayed at home, mostly, to avoid them). Expecting the same this year no doubt...

Centre is getting hollowed out at present due to covid (unsurprisingly). I’m not a sociable person so can’t really comment on eating out/nightlife. I quite like the Black Isle Bar though.

Access to the north and west is good. A9 south a bit of a grind. Personally I can be in Portree quicker than Perth. Cairngorms easy to reach. Lots of opportunities for bikepacking trips...

Weather, whilst milder than Scotroutes, can still be cold, wet and dark. And that’s just August (joke!). Gets icy. Snow, due to coast, not so much. I have to defrost the car/van more than I’d like (4 months a year). Make sure you’ve decent waterproofs though (lower Ness can be prone to flooding).

On a good year though (like ‘17) it can be glorious.

Like all places, it is what you make of it.

If there was anywhere to relocate its gotta be Scotland for me, absolutely love it up there. Bit envious good luck

My Parents (and I got married) in Nairn

IMHO never move to a place where people marry their parents

Lazarus wrote: ↑Mon Jan 11, 2021 2:08 pm

My Parents (and I got married) in Nairn

IMHO never move to a place where people marry their parents

If you get divorced do you also need to get adopted?