Hi there! I will be graduating from college this Spring, and am looking to do a year of service with a particular organization that happens to have a community in Inverness, Scotland. I've been to England, but not Scotland, and do not know much about it. Can anyone give me an idea of what Inverness is like and/or what it might be like to live there for a year or so? My real interest is the service...I'm not looking for the most beautiful city, or anything like that, but it would just be nice to have a better idea of what Inverness is like. Thank you so much for your help!! ;-)

Well, if you're not looking for a beautiful city, you've made the right choice.

I've not lived in Inverness, but I was once heavily involved in shops there and in the immediate vicinity. Inverness has much stunning scenery nearby, mostly accessible by public transport. I don't know anybody who relied on public transport for daily living though: most houses accessible on foot or by bus from the centre seemed a bit grim.

We had some of the worst problems with shoplifting, city-centre aloholism and general vandalism in Inverness of anywhere in Britain. Drinking seemed to be pretty much the only mass entertainment on offer at night. We never brought in a manager from elsewhere in Scotland who enjoyed living there. Whatever service your organisation is offering, Inverness almost certainly needs it.

The shinty was good though: it at least channelled Highlanders' instincts somewhere medical attention could arrive quickly enough to prevent too many fatalities. And our colleagues who came from Inverness were wonderful: it just seemed to be the other 99% of the population who were incapable of living in a civilised society. Our 1% seemed jolly happy with the town though, and virtually none could dream of living anywhere else. And you absolutely couldn't say Inverness is an unsafe place to live.

Clearly I'm jaundiced, but you're unlikely to find too many people on this board who've actually lived there (though obviously many will have passed through).

The UK pages on the thorntree site are more likely to throw up people who hail from the city or have studied there. And before you despair competely, remember my knowledge is mainly about what happens slap bang in the middle of the central shopping area. In almost every British city, that's the bit where the grimmest stuff goes on.

I also have not lived there but do know the area pretty well. There are 3 or 4 folks on here who live in Scotland and hopefully one of them will see your thread.

But in general there are some dodgy areas - but I wouldn't make it sound quite as bleak as flanneruk does. The city itself has everything one needs for convenience since it is the main business/shopping center for the highlands/north of Scotland. Supermarkets, decent shopping, public transport and so on. But it is certainly not my favorite place in Scotland - it is sad that so many foreign visitors think they MUST go to Inverness.

However, the area around Inverness is terrific - in all directions there are amazing sites w/i an hour or less. Culloden, the Black Isle, Glen Affric, Strathconan, Glen, Cawdor Castle, Ft George and so on are all w/i easy reach.

And it is also a decent base for traveling to Skye, the far north, and even to the Orkneys. Plus it has good rail connections to the south.

So if your posting to Inverness will give you time to explore/take weekend trips you will probably enjoy it. The VERY short days in winter and VERY long days in summer may take a bit of getting used to.

Thank you so much for your help so far, I really appreciate it! I am a bit worried about those short days in winter....it seems that it could get awfully depressing with out much sun! I'll definetly have to look more into it, but thank you again for your help, and if anyone else has information, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Ali -

Scotland is still our favorite country, but Inverness was the only city that we encountered mean locals.

We were searching for my husband's family graves and were screamed at by many passing locals.

They would yell, "Odd bastards" or "Is nothing sacred?" as they passed us.

I wanted to yell, "We are looking for his great grandmother, you wanker!", but couldn't muster up the courage or the chance of being shived on an Inverness street.

We found walking around at night safe enough (well, compared to any major city in the U.S., Scotland's roughest neighborhoods seems safe) and everything is within walking distance.

Good luck in Inverness and remember not to spend too much time inspecting grave stones!

Brenda

Alisam,
If you go with the right attitude you'll enjoy a year in Inverness. It's a surprisingly small place in terms of population but it feels every inch like a small city rather than a large village. Apart from the walks along the river it's not the most attractive city. At night the centre has its share of boisterous drunks who look scary but are unlikely to do you any harm. Inevitably a lot of the shops cater to the tourist souvenir trade but you'll still find suppliers of everything you need to live there - though there's less choice than in bigger cities. It's not a completely isolated backwater - the Eden Court Theatre for example will have a programme of events to while away several of those long winter evenings. The real attraction though is the surrounding area. Especially to the north and west, you are only a couple of hours drive from scenery that will knock you over.
In case you're over worried by Flanner's comments, Inverness didn't even make the qualifying rounds for a recent "anti competition" to find the worst place in Scotland to live.
Flanneruk, you "never brought in a manager from elsewhere in Scotland who enjoyed living there." Dare I suggest that this says more about your managers than about Inverness? Maybe even that your firm wasn't too good at matchinig the right person to the right place? Just a thought.

Inverness is a small city which is essentially boring in a beautiful location with some of the nicest people on God's Earth.

There is nothing in the world like a Highlander when it comes to welcomes and hospitality; and, I fear, when it comes to dourness.

The town is vibrant and, for its size, a lot happens there. But I'd live outside myself, if I had to work there, and commute in.

It's very safe, but there's quitea high unemployment rate and salaries are not high as a general rule.

It was in Inverness that I was as wet from a soaking, freezing rain as ever I'd been. However, we stayed on several occasions with friends in nearby Beauly and loved the area, and listening to the people of Inverness speak was always a pleasure.

Thanks everyone that replied....I really appreciate your input and help. It looks as of now that I'll be either doing this service in Baldoyle, Ireland, or in Washington D.C. in the U.S. Perhaps I'll still make it to the highlands someday...I sure hope so! Anyways, thanks again!!