Highlands
Overview
Remote Highland links including Royal Dornoch and Nairn, set against dramatic northern scenery.
- Nearest airports
- Inverness Airport (INV)
Featured Courses
Where to stay
Dornoch
Staying in Dornoch is the natural choice for golfers making the journey to Royal Dornoch — the course is a short walk from most accommodation in the town. The medieval cathedral, sandy beach, and genuinely unhurried pace give the stay a quality that the golf alone cannot account for.
- Golf access
- Royal Dornoch is in the town; Brora and Golspie are a short drive north along the coast.
- Restaurants & evenings
- The Eagle Hotel on the square is the main dining option; a small but characterful selection for a Highland town.
- Families
- A quiet, unspoilt setting with beaches and the flow of Highland life; limited specific family entertainment but memorable for older children.
Inverness
Inverness is the Highland capital and the most practical base for golfers combining Castle Stuart (Cabot Highlands), Nairn, and Royal Dornoch on a single trip. The airport with direct links to London and other UK cities makes it the easiest point of arrival for a Highland golf tour.
- Golf access
- Castle Stuart (Cabot Highlands) is 15 minutes from the city; Nairn is around 20 minutes east; Dornoch is under an hour's drive north.
- Restaurants & evenings
- A proper Highland city with a good range of restaurants, whisky bars, and independent cafés in the city centre.
- Families
- Loch Ness is 30 minutes south; Inverness Castle and the Victorian Market are in the city centre — far more options than the smaller Highland towns.
Tain / Easter Ross
Tain and Easter Ross sit midway between Inverness and Dornoch, and are a good staging base for golfers who want to play the full northern circuit without making Inverness or Dornoch a fixed point. The Glenmorangie distillery in Tain adds an obvious off-course draw.
- Golf access
- Tain Golf Club (one of Scotland's oldest links) is on the doorstep; Royal Dornoch is 20 minutes north; Castle Stuart is 40 minutes south.
- Restaurants & evenings
- A small market town with limited but honest dining options; Balblair and Glenmorangie distilleries are nearby for tastings.
- Families
- Quiet and genuinely Highland in character; good for families who enjoy outdoor activities and coastal walks rather than urban amenities.
Nairn
Nairn is a traditional Scottish seaside town in its own right, with the golf club a short walk from most accommodation and a sandy beach adding a proper holiday feel rarely found alongside Highland links golf. It sits conveniently between Inverness and the rest of the northern circuit.
- Golf access
- Nairn Golf Club is in the town itself; Castle Stuart is 15 minutes west and Inverness Airport around 20 minutes.
- Restaurants & evenings
- A traditional Scottish seaside town with a modest but reliable range of pubs and restaurants.
- Families
- Nairn's sandy beach and the Victorian seafront give the town a genuine holiday-resort character rare on this coast.