Torvean Park – A short walk in Inverness

Torvean is one of the newest parks in Inverness, and is the venue for the city’s Park Run on Saturday mornings. The park used to be a part of the Torvean Golf Club, and the area is really well landscaped, and a pleasure to walk through. There are lots of flat wide paths, and this is a good spot for children learning to ride a bike.

Distance: 1 mile / 1.5km loop from the car park, around the outer edge of the park.

Parking: At the Torvean car park just off the A82 Swingbridge roundabout, on the west side of the canal. Coming from Inverness, take the second exit at the roundabout just after Tomnahurich cemetery, and then take the second exit at the next roundabout to reach the car park. There is a small optional charge to support local services.

Amenities: The Loch Ness House Beefeater is on the other side of the roundabout, and there is also Black BX Food in the caravan park.

Buggy/ bike – friendly? The paths in the park are suitable for almost all buggies and for small children on bikes.

Torvean Park: the route

The park is laid out in a double loop circuit, designed for Park Run (the 5km run is two and a half laps of the park). We walked mostly around the outer edge of the park, starting anti-clockwise at the beautiful pond.

On your left as you walk into the park you will see a wooded ridge. This is an esker ridge, made of gravel, and it may be the highest in Britain. Esker ridges are thought to have been formed by streams flowing under or within a glacier. There are a number of esker ridges in the local area, notably at Littlemill near Daviot, and the Tomnahurich cemetery hill, which can be seen to the north east from Torvean Park.

The ground slopes gently upwards at the far end of the park, with woodland beyond. The woodland contains the former Torvean Quarry, and also an ancient hillfort, rather neglected. An ancient silver chain was found in the Torvean area in 1808, and is held by National Museums Scotland. The chain is of a type generally attributed to the Picts.

Whilst you are walking you may notice some curious metal goblet – shaped containers dotted around the park. We had no idea what they were but looked them up afterwards. They are part of a game called Disc Golf or Frisbee Golf, and Torvean Park contains the Inverness course! Keep an eye out for flying frisbees.

Final Thoughts

Torvean Park is a nice spot for a short walk, and the lower paths are great for children learning to ride a bike. The landscaping is delightful, and we enjoyed filling in another piece of Inverness geography by seeing the esker ridge close up. The park is slightly marred by the noise of the A82 running alongside it.