Invergordon to Inverness: Seeing the Highlands from Invergordon Cruise Port

The Port of Cromarty Firth at Invergordon is a bustling and prosperous part of the local community. Often called the ‘Gateway to the Highlands’, this port is ideally situated for arrival by sea and onward travel throughout the Highlands of Scotland. As well as welcoming all manner of oil tankers, rigs, and cargo vessels into its waters the port at Invergordon is a stop for various cruise liners. If you plan on anchoring at Invergordon, you may be wondering the best way to explore the area during your limited time in port. While local public transport routes are reasonably well connected between Invergordon and the Highland capital of Inverness, wait times and switching buses can limit your travel potential. The experts at Happy Tours suggest a more stylish alternative to getting around all the best Highland sights…

How to get from Invergordon to Inverness?

Arriving in Invergordon cruise port without a car may initially feel like a burden on your potential for Highland exploration. While selected buses or trains from Invergordon could take you to Inverness in around one hour, their routes do not conveniently accommodate a tourist’s desire to sightsee along the way. Moreover, once you arrive in Inverness by train or bus, you face the challenge of planning onward bus travel to popular Highland tourist destinations such as Loch Ness, Culloden Battlefield, and Clava Cairns. These route switches can eat into your limited time in the Highlands and are never fully reliable.

What would you see on the fastest bus to Inverness?

After passing through a couple of villages near to Invergordon, the fastest public bus route crosses the Black Isle, which contrary to its name is not an island. Rather, the Black Isle is a peninsula surrounded by the Cromarty, Beauly, and Moray Firths. Once across the Black Isle, buses encounter the Kessock Bridge; a shortcut to Inverness over the Beauly Firth. Once over this bridge, you’re in Inverness.

By train, passengers should expect to take a route around the mainland which by-passes the Black Isle peninsula. On this route one would fleetingly encounter Alness, Dingwall, Conon Bridge, Muir of Ord, and Beauly before reaching the Highland capital. However, there would be no chance for it would be difficult to sightsee from the confines of a train station platform! While the bus or train can get you to the Highland capital from Invergordon, it is not the best choice for tourists wishing to make the most of their limited time docked in port. The much more convenient mode of transport? Jumping aboard a Happy Tours luxury minibus!

Tours from Invergordon cruise port

Instead of relying on public bus or train services to get you to the must-see tourist spots of the Highlands, a daytrip with a Happy Tours tour guide gets you to several key tourist destinations directly from the Invergordon cruise port. After disembarking from your cruise ship and having booked a tour with Happy Tours, simply head to the Invergordon Port Authority Gate to meet your tour guide at the agreed time. From there, an expert guide will navigate to some of the Highlands’ top sights in and around the Invergordon, Inverness, or Dornoch areas. With no need to worry about transportation times, you can explore the Highlands in comfort and with peace of mind. Our guides are fully capable of escorting you back to the Invergordon port after a day of exploring, ensuring you return with plenty of time to board for the next leg of your cruise.

Tours from Invergordon to Loch Ness

One of the two tours on offer from the Invergordon cruise port takes you to the famous Loch Ness —supposedly home to the Loch Ness Monster! On the way, not only will you have great views of the diverse Scottish landscape, but you’ll also have the chance to spot ‘Nessie’ — as the monster is known locally. While around Inverness this tour also takes you to the historic site of Culloden Battlefield. Here, our tour guide can explain the significance of the Battle of Culloden and how its outcome changed Highland life forever. To continue the journey through history, the Happy Tours guide will show you around Clava Cairns, the Bronze Age cemetery initially formed 4,000 years ago. As well as stopping at the historic Beauly Priory and the heart of Inverness itself, the tour welcomes you to Glen Ord Distillery for your very own taste of world-famous Scottish whisky. The distillery, found near Muir of Ord, is an experience of the Highlands you’d struggle to obtain if traveling the Highlands by bus or train from the Invergordon cruise port.

Invergordon to Dunrobin Castle

By contrast, the second tour offered by Happy Tours from the Invergordon cruise port focuses on exploring the areas to the North of Invergordon. Passing up through Dornoch, past Golspie, and towards Brora to witness the magnificent Dunrobin Castle and the historic Cairn Laith Broch. The stately home that is Dunrobin Castle is the largest in the Northern Highlands and positioned with a view over its impressive gardens and the nearby Dornoch Firth coastline. Home to Clan Sutherland, the Castle has its own interesting links to the 1745 Jacobite Rising. The Sutherland clan’s allegiance to the British Government provoked an attack by Jacobites in the build up to the Battle of Culloden. The picturesque scenes of Dunrobin are accompanied by a visit to Cairn Liath Broch, an example of Iron Age Scottish building which remains 3 meters tall today. To top off this tour to the north of Invergordon cruise port, Happy Tours makes a stop at Glenmorangie Distillery for whisky tasting on the outskirts of Tain.

Invergordon Bus Tours

Getting around the Highlands from Invergordon cruise port couldn’t be easier with Happy Tours. In the comfort of our eight-seater minibus, there’s no need to worry about crowds or getting on at the right stop. The team at Happy Tours understand that cruise passengers’ time at the Invergordon cruise port is limited and so our expertly organised tours will accommodate your time restraints and alleviate the stress associated with travel by public transport. Select your tour from Invergordon cruise port today to meet the Happy Tours tour guide upon arrival at Invergordon!

For more information or to book a tour, send us an email enquiry at tours@happy-tours.biz or contact “the man in the kilt” on +44(0)7828 154 683.