Beauly Firth Shoreline Walk & Beaufort Castle Views
Most visitors sprint past the Beauly Firth on the A862 without a second glance, but those who stop discover one of the Highlands' most quietly spectacular estuaries — a wide tidal firth where wading birds wheel over silver mudflats, and the baronial towers of Beaufort Castle loom through the riverside trees.
The Firth, the River and the Salmon
The River Beauly flows calmly beside the village before widening into the firth, and the riverside paths make for a lovely, unhurried stroll with views across the water toward Inverness. The river is one of Scotland's famed salmon rivers, and in late summer you can sometimes watch fish leaping at the weirs — a genuinely wild spectacle minutes from the village square.
The tidal mudflats of the Beauly Firth are an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) and a magnet for wading birds and wildfowl, particularly in autumn and winter. Oystercatchers, curlews, and grey herons are regular sights along the shore.
Beaufort Castle and the Fraser Clan
A short walk along the River Beauly brings Beaufort Castle into view — a grand Scottish baronial mansion built in 1880 on a site that has held a Fraser clan stronghold since the 13th century. The castle is the ancestral seat of the Lovat Frasers, one of the most storied clans in Highland history, and while the interior is private, the exterior and riverside approach are spectacular.
On the outskirts of Beauly, Robertson's Farm Shop is another rewarding detour — a working farm where you can meet Highland cattle and alpacas up close, pick up local produce, and get a feel for the agricultural life that has shaped this corner of Inverness-shire for generations.
Beauly Firth Shoreline Walk & Beaufort Castle Views on video
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