Where are the best hikes around Inverness, Scotland?

MY PARTNER AND I HAVE FIVE NIGHTS AFTER A HEBRIDES CRUISE AND BEFORE AN ORKNEY TOUR. WE'RE KEEN WALKERS. THINKING OF HIRING A CAR FROM FORT WILLIAM AND BASING OURSELVES IN INVERNESS. ANY ADVICE? L. BERTOGGI, MOUNT PLEASANT, NSW

You've got some lovely walking country just to the south of Inverness in the Cairngorms National Park (visitcairngorms.com). A great resource with more comprehensive information on walking in the region is the walkhighlands website (walkhighlands.co.uk).

Another option would be to pick up a hire car and drive part of the North Coast 500 (northcoast500.com). This is a cracker of a drive and five days would be ideal for half the route. The website has a number of suggested itineraries that focus on various themes, such as food and drink, history and archaeology and active adventures to help plan your trip.

While the east coast has a number of highlights including Dunrobin Castle, Whaligoe Steps, Castle Sinclair, Duncansby Stacks and the cockleshell harbour at Latheronwheel, I prefer the serrated, ice-carved west coast. One slight problem, I can't find a car hire office close to Fort William that would allow you to return your vehicle at another location. However, Hertz (hertz.com) has one office at Inverness and another at Wick, in the north-east, where you could drop off your hire car and take a train or bus to Thurso, near where the ferry leaves for Orkney.