We awoke this morning to the sound of the engines of Lord of the Glen as she pulled away from her berth at Corpach, to begin her day of sailing through the Caledonian Canal. In no time at all, we were ascending Neptune’s Staircase, the biggest flight of locks on the Canal. The staircase is aptly named and Lord of the Glen climbs the stair-like set of locks one after another until we finally reach the last one, seemingly only a few hundred yards from the beginning of the first lock. We then sail along the River Lochy with wonderful views of Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in all of Great Briton. One of the many swing bridges we pass is the Moy Swing Bridge, still in use after 140 years of service, and still operated by hand, the only one of the original bridges still in use today.
The journey is spectacularly quiet and peaceful and the time sailing is well spent viewing the scenery before us. Quaint cottages, lovely gardens, pastures of grazing sheep, and an occasional deer are a delight to watch as we slowly motor along the waterway. Passing through the locks takes time and more than one conversation is had with a friendly local watching us navigate up the canal. The passage is so narrow we sometimes wonder how we will make our way pass an oncoming vessel, but with skill, experience, and perhaps a bit of luck, we sail on unscathed. One particular point of interest, named the Well of the Seven Heads was named for the seven severed heads that were washed in it before being presented to the local Clan Chief. One can’t blame him, why would he not want his severed heads cleaned before the proper presentation.
In between historical landmarks and pastoral beauty, we had the pleasure to attend a presentation by our naturalist Robin on the nature of Scotland. Her program was as informative as it was inspirational and was a combination of natural history and Scottish poetry.
Just before we reach our destination of Fort Augustus, the captain let those of us who wished to walk the final two miles on the path that runs along the side of the canal disembark the ship. This was another pleasant way to experience the waterway and pastoral landscape around it. To top off the day in the Caledonian Canal some of us took to kayaks and spent a leisurely hour and a half paddling the silent, calm, and mirror-like water of this peaceful waterway.
Finally, this evening before dinner, we were treated to one of Scotland’s most treasured exports and had a whisky tasting on board. Andy, our bartender quenched our pallets with fine sprits, and our heats with homespun humor. The perfect end of this Highland day.
