Caledonian Canal from Fort William to Loch Ness
We set off early from Banavie, Fort William, and with clearing skies had fine views south to Ben Nevis, Britain’s tallest mountain. In its north face, where the last ice age scoured out a sheer black cliff, there were still snowfields from last winter. But it is summer now – and the sun came out to prove it! Green fields, avenues of vivid larches and pines alongside the canal, swallows and sand martins flitting over the water, and we cruised past the last manual swing bridge on the canal. Then we made a smooth exit into Loch Lochy, the first of the three great lochs that are aquatic stepping stones down the 60 miles of the Great Glen. The Caledonian Canal, completed in 1822, created the extra 22 miles of canal and locks which link these natural waterways, allowing boats to cross the Highlands from the Atlantic Ocean to the North Sea.
During our transit of Loch Lochy, Ian gave an illustrated introduction to Scottish Wildlife, from midge to moose, outlining the efforts to restore the native Scottish forest, and the controversial plans to reintroduce beaver, elk, lynx and possibly one day even the wolf. At the head of Loch Lochy, our crack team of serious cyclists set off to follow 10 miles of towpath from Laggan Locks all the way down to Fort Augustus, our destination for the evening. The next section of the Canal threads its way through the narrow but beautifully wooded Loch Oich, past the ruined Glengarry Castle. At 105’ above sea level, this is the highest point of the canal, constantly replenished by rainfall up in the mountains that line the Great Glen. From here we re-entered the next section of the canal at Cullochy Loch, past Kytra Lock and finally to the canalside village of Fort Augustus. It took us only 30minutes to descend the 5 locks here, with a huge audience of shoreside tourists, and while we waited for the road bridge to be swung aside for us, we were serenaded by a Scottish piper in full regalia: black shaggy shako, red tartan kilt and white military spats.
Safely moored at the entrance to Loch Ness, we were in a perfect position for an afternoon of activity: Konia led a “city tour” of Fort Augustus, Iris took a group to the Rare Breeds farm to see Red Deer, cattle, sheep and Charlie, a huge baggy-trousered rooster. Ian led the canoeists, who from the edge of Loch Ness, paddled out along the west shore to Cherry Island, a crannog, a manmade defensive island built by the ancient Celts. On our return we passed a pair of swans, the female ferrying her three cygnets safe inside the shelter of her own arched wings. Last thing, David and Ian led a 3-mile hike back into the hills, along a fine rocky river, past the ancient cemetery of Cil Chuiminn, and back down through beautiful oakwoods to the old Benedictine Abbey on the shores of the loch. Once an 18th century fort to quell the rebellious Jacobite Highlanders, it has been by turns military base, abbey, boy’s school and now luxury apartments. What would Saint Chiuminn, the lonely 6th century hermit, have made of all this hubbub, bubble, toil and trouble? He would have cycled back to the peace of Iona as fast as he could go.
