Glenfinnan & Sailing the Caledonian Canal
Fortunately the weather forecasters got it only partly right today – high winds and rain were forecast – it was a bit wet, but not windy in the morning and then turned into a glorious day.
The early birds caught the train from Banavie to Glenfinnan with Ian, to explore this pretty glen. Everybody else enjoyed the views over breakfast, going up Neptune’s Staircase. This was one of the major achievements of Thomas Telford, the engineer of the Caledonian Canal. Over a space of 500 yards, a series of 8 locks raise the water level by 64 feet, which is an amazing feat of engineering, especially considering that this was built in the early 1800s!!
At the top of the locks our coach was waiting to take us the short journey to Glenfinnan. Here we met up with our fellow travelers. Some of us opted for a nature walk with Ian, and many of us viewed the monument, commemorating the raising of the standard by Bonnie Prince Charlie on 19th August 1745. More information about this could be found in the exhibition of the visitor centre. Some of us felt peckish again and enjoyed a cuppa and a piece of cake. Some of the dog lovers made friends with the manager’s pooch – gorgeous Barney, a Rhodesian Ridgeback/Great Dane cross.
After we rejoined the ship at Gairlochy, we sailed across Loch Lochy over lunch. This was followed by Laggan Avenue – a particularly pretty stretch of the canal, where the trees come right down to the water. On Loch Oich, Jim Russell, our National Geographic expert, held a talk on the languages of Scotland. Shortly after, the kayakers left the ship to explore the canal in a very leisurely way.
At Kytra Lock the hikers started off on their walk to Fort Augustus with Konia Tack, whilst those of us that stayed behind on the ship were entertained by David Barnes, on the myths of Scotland’s traditions. This village is a lovely place to explore, nestling around the five locks and a former Fort, later abbey, now private flats. After a bit of shopping done at Fort Augustus’ biggest shop, the gas station, we settled down to dinner. In the evening Jim Russell entertained us with his whisky talk – one whisky was tastier than the next!
Good – hick – night!
