Travel writer believes transport and rainy day options hold key to a better Inverness.
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COULD trams be the answer?
Responding to the call for ideas on how to make Inverness city centre a better place to live, work and visit travel writer Simon Varwell thinks they could be.
The Benbecula-born Inverness resident rates his adopted home as a “great base for the region, but a poor destination in its own right” and thinks a public transport overhaul would be a major step forward.
The author of three books based on his travels around Britain, Eastern Europe, Australia and the USA, he praises London’s underground system and also the Faroese capital Torshavn, where he says completely free buses around town are particularly impressive.
Calling trams “a major plus” Varwell said: “I’m a rail geek, but there’s just something graceful and captivating about these wee trains gliding through busy streets, and it’s part of why I’ve liked cities like Zagreb and Graz.
“Inverness, with its low density sprawl and it’s more or less wheel and spoke layout, needs trams.”
In truth transport is just one of the improvements the 38-year-old envisages for the city, with his plans for the riverside Douglas Row intriguing.
Involving pedestrianisation and rezoning for “crafty” shops, cafes and bars, he said: “For a city with such a stunning river there is hardly anywhere in the city centre where people can appreciate it, and Douglas Row is so cute and quirky it could be a fabulous spot for tourists that’s still right in the city centre.”
Varwell praises Inverness’s “compactness”, but calls its wet weather options in particular “shoddy”.
“When the weather’s nice there’s the beautiful river, the magical Ness Islands, the canal, and various other lovely walks around, say, the early stages of the Great Glen Way or the forest at Craig Phadraig.
“But when it’s peeing down and you need a wet weather alternative the options are either appalling or appallingly marketed.”
Varwell brands the current museum on Bridge Street “uninspiring” and while he thinks the Victorian Market is “charming” he argues it would “struggle to entertain you for a day”.
“As the capital of the Highlands and gateway to a diverse region packed with incredible opportunities for the visitor, and with one of the finest riverside settings in the country, the city should be doing so much more,” he said.
“For many people visiting the Highlands and Islands, Inverness is the first port of call. To be nothing more than a forgettable springboard to other destinations is simply not on.”
Niche museums on themes like hillwalking/mountaineering as well as a ceilidh hall or traditional music hub are among his other ideas for more things to see and do, along with a dedicated Gaelic language centre.
“I’ve been in Ireland a lot lately and the Irish language is highly visible,” he said. “Yes, not many people speak it, but if you photoshopped Irish signs out of pictures of, say, Dublin or Cork, you could easily imagine they were somewhere in England.
“Gaelic is unique to Scotland. If we don’t make a fuss about it, nobody else will.
“I do love it here.
“It’s just frustrating that I know the city could and should be so much better given the great advantages it has.”
* What do you think of Simon’s ideas? Do you have thoughts of your own about how to improve Inverness city centre for those who live, work and visit there?
* Write to The Editor, The Inverness Courier, Reinvent the City Centre 2017, New Century House, Stadium Road, Inverness, IV1 1FG.
* Telephone 01463 233059 and ask for the newsdesk.
* Email newsdesk@spp-group.com with the subject heading Reinvent the City Centre 2017.
* Comment online at www.inverness-courier.co.uk; at facebook.com
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