Early morning, we continued our ascent of the Caledonian Canal, with a slight delay just outside of Fort Augustus. A branch broken off by high winds earlier in the week lodged in a lock, stopping the gate from closing. We watched as the lock keepers used a grapple to remove the branch, then continued on our way, climbing up to the Canal’s high point of 106 feet at Loch Oich, before descending to our destination at Banavie, near the city of Fort William. On the way we passed through Moy Bridge, the last hand-cranked lock on the canal, and sailed through Laggan Avenue, a beautiful tree-lined stretch of the Canal.
During the morning journey, Eric gave a presentation on using an iPhone for photography, enlightening us on the amazing features of a smart phone camera. Robin followed with the story of the “Rise and Fall of the Caledonian Canal,” an environmental history of the Scottish Highlands from prehistoric times to today.
In the afternoon, we boarded a bus for a short ride up to Glenfinnan Monument. Prince Charles arrived at Glenfinnan in 1745, raised his standard, and began the final campaign to reclaim the throne. His campaign ended in tragic defeat at Culloden, the battlefield that we visited yesterday. Although a steady rain was falling, many of the group joined Eric and Robin to walk up to the Glenfinnan Viaduct made famous in the Harry Potter films. David took a second group for nature walk along Loch Eil, a pleasant stroll through a delightful birch forest.
During recap, Captain Tony presented the story of the Caledonian Canal. Thomas Telford engineered the canal, which was constructed between 1803 and 1822 and provided direct passage across the Highlands, avoiding the difficult route around the northern coast. The Canal connects 38 miles of open lochs with 22 miles of man-made canals. The Captain’s description set us up for tomorrow’s journey that will take us to the end of the Canal.
