The Beauly Firth is a firth

Firth

Firth is the word in the Lowland Scots language and in English used to denote various coastal waters in Scotland and England. In mainland Scotland it is used to describe a large sea bay, or even a strait. In the Northern Isles it more usually refers to a smaller inlet...

 in northern Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

. It is effectively a continuation of the Moray Firth

Moray Firth

The Moray Firth is a roughly triangular inlet of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness, which is in the Highland council area of north of Scotland...

 westward, and is bounded at one end by Beauly

Beauly

Beauly is a town of the Scottish county of Inverness-shire, on the River Beauly, 10 miles west of Inverness by the Far North railway line. Its population was 855 in 1901...

 and at the other by Inverness

Inverness

Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...

 (North Kessock

North Kessock

North Kessock is a village on the Black Isle north of Inverness.-Description:...

 and South Kessock

South Kessock

South Kessock is an area of the city of Inverness in Scotland.It is to the north of Merkinch and is also known, somewhat disparagingly, as the Ferry. Prior to the construction of the Kessock Bridge, the Kessock Ferry sailed between North Kessock and here.South Kessock has featured in two novels by...

). The Kessock Ferry

Kessock Ferry

The Kessock Ferry used to ply between Inverness and the Black Isle, across the Beauly Firth. It was withdrawn on the opening of the Kessock Bridge in 1982.-Service:...

 has crossed at the eastern end since the 15th Century. Today, the A9 crosses on the Kessock Bridge

Kessock Bridge

The Kessock Bridge carries the A9 trunk road across the Beauly Firth at Inverness.-Description:The Kessock Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge across the Beauly Firth, an inlet of the Moray Firth, between the village of North Kessock and the city of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands.The bridge has a...

.

The Beauly Firth has several names in Scottish Gaelic including Linne Fharair, Poll an Ròid and Caolas Uisge a' Mhanachainn - the latter being a more literal version of the English.