Having spent a few days without roundabout, and few traffic lights, with the views un-obscured by buildings, it was a bit of a shock to come back to habitation. This panoramic picture was taken from the center of Beauly, known in the area for the ruins of the church in the town.

Beauly - Scottish Highlands visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Beauly' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Highland.

Panorama of Beauly near to Inverness and Muir of Ord in the Scottish Highlands.

Beauly is a small town which can trace it's roots back to 1230 and the founding of Beauly Priory. The site of Lovat castle was on the riverbank although now demolished. Beaufort castle lies three miles south of the town and has a long, chequered history.

Beauly (Scots Gaelic: A' Mhanachainn) became a market town due to it's central location amid expansive fertile lands where arable crops were grown. There is little land west of Beauly suitable for farming, let alone flat enough for growing crops, so much trading took place here. This market prospered as fuels and foods such as timber, coal, fish, cattle and grains were also traded here. The advent of the railway running from nearby Inverness to Kyle served to increase trade and distribution of goods from the 1920s onwards - as did the opening of the Caledonian Canal at Inverness, which runs across the breadth of Scotland through the Great Glen and Loch Ness to Fort William on the west coast.

Beauly, like most small towns here, is home to many commuters working in the city of Inverness. Unlike most commuter towns, Beauly still retains it's local shops, services and cottage industries and still has the charming feel of a community belonging to a bygone age long before supermarkets took over commerce. Many town center buildings are preserved with their elegant early architecture, proud testimony to the town's economic prosperity and importance. The citizens' pride in caring for their town was reflected in Beauly winning the "Nation In Bloom" award for the best flower displays in Britain.

Travel and Getting There
Exit Inverness via Muirtown Lock, the entrance to the Caledonian Canal on the south bank of the Beauly Firth. Follow signs for Ullapool - there are several routes most converging at a roundabout near Contin. You can also reach this point exiting Inverness via the Kessock bridge, arriving via the A9 north or A835 west. Take the roundabout exit for Muir of Ord. Beauly is 3 miles east of Muir of Ord and Conon Bridge, approx 10 miles from Inverness.