By Durant Imboden
ABOVE: Pier and town of Invergordon, Scotland,
the port for Inverness, Loch Ness, and the Scottish Highlands.
Port of Invergordon (Inverness)
Continued
from: Rosyth
(Edinburgh) shore excursions
Invergordon is a deepwater port near the entrance of
Cromarty Firth, "the seaway to the Scottish Highlands." Inverness, the capital
of the Highlands, is half an hour from Invergordon by road, and Loch Ness--home
of the elusive monster--is just a few miles beyond.
The town of Invergordon itself is small and modern, with more
appeal than you might expect of a community that services the North Sea oil
industry. (Don't be surprised if you see drilling platforms in the Firth;
they're often towed in from the oil fields for maintenance, especially when oil
prices are down.)
There isn't much to the cruise terminal--it consists mainly of a pier with
room for ships as large as the QE2 and the Norway--but the setting
is pleasant, and there's a small shop near the foot of the pier where friendly
locals were selling whisky, crafts, jewelry, and Scottish food gifts during our
visit. A pipe band (consisting of bagpipers and two drummers) serenaded the
Silver Whisper's passengers on board and from the quay as the ship departed.
For more
information on the port of Invergordon, see:
Invergordon.info
Cromarty Firth
Port Authority
Next page:
Invergordon (Inverness) shore excursions
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