Sailing along the canal this morning was a real joy. There is a magic about this waterway, as you travel along quietly enjoying the views of the hills and taking photographs of the reflections in the water. Our journey took us through Kytra and Cullochy locks to the highest point of the canal, Loch Oich, which is at a 106 feet above sea level. From here we continued through Laggan Avenue, a scenic length of the canal built by piling soil on the banks anchored and stabilised by trees and shrubs, so nowadays you sail through a forest—on a cruise ship!
The locks at Laggan take us down to the level of Loch Lochy, where Jim Richardson showed us photographs he took on his travels around Scotland, whetting our appetites for more.
After Gairlochy Locks we passed the last original swing bridge at Moy. Only the farmer living on one side of the canal needs to cross here on occasion to reach his cattle and sheep on the other side, so there was never any need to modernise the bridge! Both bridge halves are still hand operated. However there is one concession to modernity….the bridge keeper now has a wee boat with an outboard motor instead of a rowing boat but a few of us thought there would be more effort to start the boat than row the 30 yards!
During lunch we descended Neptune’s Staircase, which consists of eight locks in a row, lowering the water level by 64 feet. An incredible feat of engineering.
In the afternoon we had a short coach ride to Glenfinnan, a very scenic spot. This is where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard to rally the clans on August 19, 1745. But that is not what brings most people here these days: That’s the Glenfinnan viaduct, part of the West Highland Line, that was opened in 1901, which was featured in one of the Harry Potter movies. And we were lucky enough to see the Hogwarts Express or rather, the Jacobite steam train, crossing it. We then had the option of exploring the visitor centre and going for a hike with either Carol and Jim to the viaduct, or going on a walk with Konia and Emily to take in the nature and have some photo opportunities.
After our return to the ship, Captain Tony Reading gave a presentation on the Caledonian Canal. Local Estate Manager Alastair Gibson from Glenfinnan gave us an entertaining and illuminating account of his life and work. After this eventful day we settled in and contemplated the day with a dram in the shadow of the majestic Ben Nevis.
