Depending on when you plan your visit, you may want to take part in some of the summer’s busy schedule of events. As early as the first weekend in May, the Beltane Festival in Inverness celebrates the ancient Celtic festival of "Bealltainn", the start of a new year, with traditional music, storytelling and Gaelic song.

On the last weekend in May, Avoch has their Raising of the Standard, commemorating Andrew de Moray's rousing of the clans prior to the victory at the Battle of Stirling Bridge where he led a Scottish army alongside William Wallace.

June, July and August are the Games season. Highland Games very enormously, from the ceremony of the Royal games at Braemar to more local games. Strathconon Games up the road here are pretty informal, but with all the fun and the different events you normally associate with Highland Games.

July is pretty busy, including the local Gala Week in Muir of Ord, which is a week of fundraising events for local causes. Strathpeffer also has its Victorian Week, celebrating the Victorian “boom” in tourism because of the reputedly health-giving waters of the spa. Highlight of Victorian Week is the open air market in the village square, with many participants in period costume and music and other entertainments like Punch and Judy shows. This is also the month for open gardens. Scatwell House has a major opening day, with entertainments and stalls. Allangrange House opens, over near Munlochy and even local villages have open gardens days - Fortrose and Rosemarkie in mid-July and Avoch at the end of the month, providing you with a map of the houses which are opening their gardens, and usually a cup of tea and home baking in the hall.

The first Thursday in August is the usual date for the Black Isle Show. The Show has a pedigree of over 150 years and it is the largest agricultural show of its kind. There are, naturally, livestock competitions, but also demonstrations, open air entertainments, exhibits by ostrich breeders and lumberjacks, sheep shearing, face painting, riding competitions and grandly decorated heavy horses, such as used to be seen in farms all over the country. Alongside all this are stalls and markets and a large funfair, locally known as the “Showies”.