A memorable final day of our voyage started with the descent of a flight of four locks at Fort Augustus on Lord of the Glens. At the bottom, we found ourselves in the waters of one of Scotland’s most famous lochs, Loch Ness. Plain sailing in the loch allowed captain Tony Reading to leave the bridge and give us an entertaining presentation on the building of the Caledonian Canal, which was nineteen years in the making between 1803 and 1822, at a cost of over one million dollars. Half way along the shore was Urquhart Castle, a classic ruin of a medieval castle with drawbridge, tower and curtain wall, set high on a rock strategically placed controlling the waterway.
Onwards, and we heard from Stewart tales of Nessie herself, but on this occasion no monster was spotted by our naturalists. But many pleasure boats were on the loch and the canal, along with hikers on the towpath, enjoying the weekend sunshine. Soon we entered the final loch in the Great Glen, Loch Dochfour, and then the last stretch of the canal to Muirtown Locks and Inverness. After lunch, we departed for a visit to the remarkable Clava cairns. These Early Bronze Age chambered cairns were constructed about 4,000 years ago from a subtle variety of different-colored stones, and were aligned to the midwinter solstice, each surrounded by a magnificent ring of standing stones. A ring cairn marked a special place where cremations may once have been carried out.
Then we travelled on to Culloden Moor, where a crucial battle took place on April 16, 1746, which brought an end to the Jacobite cause. Bonny Prince Charlie had landed in Scotland eight months earlier, hoping to overthrow the British regime of 58 years and replace King George III with a Stewart monarch, but it ended in a disastrous defeat here, bringing about great changes in the way of life in the highlands thereafter.
Our last night on board was a celebration of a wonderful voyage together. After captain Tony’s farewell party, we were piped in by our Highland piper to a traditional Scottish dinner, complete with haggis, neeps and tatties, the “Ode to the Haggis” performed by our hotel manager Brian in full kilt regalia. After dinner, we were treated to a display of Highland dancing to the sound of live pipe music by some very young dancers dressed in gorgeous traditional costume. A most fitting end to a wonderful day in the Highlands of Scotland.
