After the Edinburgh Marathon: Inverness and the Highlands

The Route: Edinburgh → Inverness → Loch Ness → Inverness → Edinburgh Logistics: Direct ScotRail service from Edinburgh Waverley to Inverness, around 3.5 hours, no change required. Marathon Month: May Duration: 3 nights

Edinburgh Waverley ──(3.5 hrs direct ScotRail)──> Inverness ──(bus/tour)──> Loch Ness & Glens
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                                          Edinburgh Waverley ◄──(3.5 hrs direct ScotRail)────┘

Edinburgh Marathon's coastal finish is East Lothian at its gentlest, and Inverness offers the opposite register entirely: genuine Highland scale, reachable without a car via a single direct train that runs the length of the country in one sitting. Late May in the Highlands sits at a useful point in the calendar, long daylight, often 17 hours or more this far north, and conditions ahead of peak midge season, which typically builds through June and becomes a real factor by July. The direct ScotRail service from Edinburgh Waverley takes around 3.5 hours, comfortable enough as a single sitting with a buffet trolley on board rather than needing a change.

Nights One to Three: Inverness and Loch Ness

Inverness sits at the mouth of the River Ness, a compact Highland capital built around a red sandstone castle, a functioning courthouse rather than a museum piece, and a river that runs fast and clear straight through the centre. Its position makes it the natural base for exploring Loch Ness and the surrounding glens without needing to relocate accommodation each night.

The primary recovery asset is the Ness Islands, a set of small wooded islands in the river connected by Victorian footbridges, reached via a flat riverside path from the city centre. The full circuit, out along one bank, across the islands and back along the other, runs a little over an hour at a slow pace, entirely flat and paved, with the river itself doing most of the scenic work.

Secondary attractions include Loch Ness itself, best reached by a half-day boat cruise from Inverness or Drumnadrochit rather than attempting to walk any significant stretch of shoreline (cruise prices vary by operator and season, so check current rates before booking), and Urquhart Castle, a ruined lochside fortress with genuine views down the loch's length, reachable by the same cruises or by bus. Culloden Battlefield, site of the final Jacobite defeat in 1746, sits a short bus ride from Inverness and offers flat, well-marked walking paths across the moor itself.

Where to stay: The Kingsmills Hotel, on the edge of the city centre, offers quieter grounds a short walk from the river. The Glenmoriston Town House, directly on the riverbank, puts the Ness Islands walk on the doorstep.

Where to eat: The Kitchen Brasserie, on the riverbank, does a seasonal Scottish menu with river views from most tables. Velocity Café, near the train station, is a solid, unfussy option for a quicker meal between train connections.

Getting Home

The direct ScotRail service back to Edinburgh Waverley from Inverness takes around 3.5 hours, running several times a day; check the current timetable at scotrail.co.uk before finalising a departure, since Highland services run less frequently than central-belt routes and a missed train can mean a genuinely long wait. Runners flying home from Edinburgh Airport should build in the full train journey plus tram or bus time onward, since Inverness has its own airport but with far fewer international connections than Edinburgh.