High Life Highland has launched a completely redesigned website at www.highlifehighland.com, offering a faster, more personalised and accessible experience for the hundreds of thousands of people who use its leisure, library, museum, archive and community services each year.
The new website, developed in partnership with Scottish website development agency Whereverly, has been built from the ground up following a development process that commenced in April 2025. The result is a modern, mobile-first platform designed around how customers use High Life Highland’s services — whether booking a fitness class on a lunch break, finding a local library, or searching for children’s activities at the weekend.
Designed for mobile from day one
With two-thirds of visitors accessing the website via a smartphone, the new site has been designed for small screens first. Menus, buttons and layouts are all optimised for mobile use, making it easier than ever to navigate the full breadth of High Life Highland’s services on the go.
Personalised to your location
A standout new feature allows users to enter their postcode and instantly see services nearest to them. The website automatically adapts to display relevant local content, including the nearest leisure centre, library, upcoming events and more. The site also learns from browsing behaviour, surfacing frequently visited pages on the homepage for returning users.
Smarter navigation and search
The new mega menu groups services into clear categories — Fitness & Activities, Communities, Health & Wellbeing, Libraries & Archives, and Museums & Attractions — giving customers a comprehensive overview of everything on offer at a glance. A new smart search function combines intelligent suggestions with traditional search results, allowing users to find information faster than ever before.
Faster access to popular services
Prominent menu tiles provide quick links to high-demand actions such as finding a leisure centre, booking a fitness class, or browsing activities. An enhanced timetable function makes it simpler to find and book classes across all leisure centres, with filters by class type, venue and date. Users can also view swimming pool timetables, Active Schools Coordinator schedules, and specialist health and wellbeing classes.
Seamless system integrations
Behind the scenes, the new website includes integrations with Gladstone, the leisure management system used for bookings and memberships, and Spydus, the library management system powering the online catalogue and library services. These integrations ensure a smooth, connected experience for customers moving between browsing and booking.
Easier space hire and improved events visibility
A redesigned “Hire a Space” journey makes it much simpler for customers to filter and find suitable venues depending on their activity. Events also receive greater prominence across the site, making it easier for customers to discover what’s happening locally and across the Highlands.
Built with accessibility in mind
Accessibility improvements are woven throughout the new site, including better colour contrast, clearer wording and simplified layouts. Every venue page now features accessibility icons showing available facilities at a glance — such as accessible parking, changing places, lifts, accessible toilets and step-free access. A new “Getting here” section on each venue page includes a map and written directions to help visitors plan their journey.
About High Life Highland
High Life Highland is a charity and company limited by guarantee that operates leisure centres, libraries, archives, museums, community centres, countryside ranger services and music tuition across the Scottish Highlands on behalf of The Highland Council. Its mission is Making Life Better for the people and communities of the Highlands.