Caledonian Canal from Banavie to Fort Augustus

A damp day soon turned dry and later on became glorious sunshine as we set off along the Caledonian Canal. Once we had passed Moy Bridge, the last of the original swing bridges, still operated by hand, Ian Bullock gave a presentation on the wildlife of Scotland. This took us to Gairlochy locks. Still moving up the canal, we locked through these and listened to Konia’s presentation on lighthouses in Scotland, their builders, history, keepers etc. After Laggan locks we had reached the highest point of the canal (106 ft above sea level) – enjoying the Laggan Avenue and Loch Oich over lunch. Just the other side of Loch Oich, past Aberchalder swing bridge, we had an expectant fan of the Lord of the Glens waiting for us. Skipper is a golden retriever that belongs to Mark, a former lockkeeper. Now he spends his days at the café his owner is running, but he still remembers the ship. Sometimes a stray sausage from the galley flies his way... Today he was certainly in luck, not a lot of canal spectators have venison flung at them. And then Skipper watched us sail onward towards Cullochy and Kytra locks, where the walkers, cyclists and kayakers got off. The 2 ½ miles to Fort Augustus seemed to take no time at all – walking, cycling and kayaking in the sunshine. After the ship had travelled through the five locks at Fort Augustus, she tied up at Inveroich pier with magnificent views of Loch Ness.

Now Fort Augustus beckoned for a walk and some shopping. It’s a historic village with a former abbey, a canal museum and interesting shops to browse through.

Konia led a guided walk to some of the sights, followed by a recap with David Barnes, Ian Bullock and Konia Tack. After dinner we became Whisky experts as John Carmichael from Ben Nevis Distillery explained the tricks of the trade over a few glasses of Scotland’s most famous alcoholic drink.

With a glow from the sun – or was it the whisky? – we are off to our beds.