Caledonian Canal Picspam

[anteros_lmc]

More holiday pics! Caledonian Canal this time. The canal, which runs from Inverness to Fort William, was built by Thomas Telford and was commissioned at the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars in order to provide a safe shipping route for naval and commercial vessels, avoiding the dangerous waters of Cape Wrath and the Pentland Firth. However the project took much longer to complete than intended, by the time canal opened in 1822 the wars were long over and the new steam ships were too large to use the waterway. Despite the canal's lack of commercial success it became a popular tourist route as it links together the four lochs of the Highlands' spectacular Great Glen: Loch Ness, Loch Oich, Loch Lochy and Loch Linne.

This is the second time we've sailed the canal, and both times we've hired cruisers from Caley Cruisers who are quite fabulous people. Last time partner and I did it, there was just the two of us in a skittish little cruiser with no keel and an outboard propeller. This time we had two friends and three kids with us (two ships mice and a midshipman) and we had a large and very swanky cruiser that sailed like a dream. Bow thrusters are very handy for getting in and out of locks I can tell you!

(Link to gallery here)

Urquhart Castle from Loch Ness	Loch Ness from Urquhart Castle
Loch Ness from Urquhart Castle	Fort Augustus top lock
Navigating the Fort Augustus locks is always one of the highlights of doing the Caledonian Canal. At the top of Loch Ness there is a flight of five locks that carry the canal up through the town of Fort Augustus. Hired cruisers have to be hauled up and down the locks by hand and the whole process takes at least an hour depending on the number of boats in the lock. It's heavy work but lots of fun as there are always lots of locals and visitors watching the boats going up and down the canal.
Kytra Lock	A very pretty boat at Kytra Lock
Gairlochy Locks	The Eagle Bar, Laggan
The Eagle is a barge moored at Laggan Locks which has been converted into a bar an restaurant. It's an extraordinary place, stuffed to the gunwales with maritime ephemera including two enormous replicas of Victory and Cutty Sark. Needless to say I was in my element! The food also happens to be excellent and the owner a character and a half.
Glengarry Castle	Glengarry Castle
Ship wreck	Wreck below Glengarry Castle
I have no idea what happened to this boat, presumably she dragged her anchors during a gale and was driven on shore. The wreck looked very eery half submerged below the ruined castle. We spent the night at a small pontoon just opposite and our poor little midshipmite was more than a little freaked out!
Loch Lochy	Loch Lochy
Our boat at Banavie	Not often you see Ben Nevis looking like this!
Laggan Avenue	Yachts on Loch Ness
Deery me!	Red deer under Buachaille Etive Mòr

Comments

[kittycallum.livejournal.com]

Gah! Those are beautiful! There is something truly haunting about the wrecked ship -- particularly in not knowing how she came to be there. I recall spending nights moored by ghost towns and abandoned cottages in Newfoundland and Labrador: it was always a rather eerie sensation, staying amongst ruins.

But those ships saling about on Loch Ness warm my heart a little bit. :) I'm impressed you managed to get so close to those deer as well!

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

The ship wreck was a complete mystery, there are lots of pictures of it online but no indication of how she came to be there. It was certainly an eerie sight.

It wasn't to difficult getting close to the deer. They came running as soon as we stopped the van! They'd been hand fed by staff at the Kingshouse Hotel in Glencoe. I posted another pic of us hand feeding them here :)

[azdak.livejournal.com]

What fabulous photos! And so much sunshine! A German friend of mine has sailed through the caledonian Canal and he was very impressed by it - now I know why!

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Thank you! The sunshine was an unexpected bonus. I can highly recommend adding the Caledonian Canal to your itinerary when your Five Year Plan comes to fruition :)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_likimeya/]

Everything looks so different in the sunshine! D:

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Amazing isn't it?! You won't be surprised to hear that we got thoroughly rained on too :}

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

We all agreed that blazing sunshine in Fort William was distinctly weird!

Invergarry Castle was very pictshurskew. I took some more pics of the wild flowers around the castle, maybe I'll post them later.

[esteven]

Gorgeous, Wonderful, Magnificent, Sunny (!!!) Envy-inspiring, sad (the wreck)

This comment was brought to you curtesy of WS (white Sony)

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Thank you m'dear. And welcome aboard WS :)

[esteven]

:) He still needs a name. ;D

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Has he got a name yet? And he is definitely a he? Not a she, like a ship? *g*

[esteven]

The netbook, Scruffles, is also 'he'. So it is only fair he should get a larger/taller/bigger companion.

[katriona-s.livejournal.com]

Thank you for sharing those wonderful photos. I'm glad you have had great holiday, but you know... you really made me ENVY you!!! About 10 or 15 years ago my Scottish-American friend did the similar trip in Scotland, she told me about her experience in her letter vividly so since then this canal trip has been one of what "I'd like to do some day"!!!

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Glad you enjoyed the pictures. If you ever have the opportunity, I can highly recommend taking a trip down the canal or even just going for a short cruise down Loch Ness. Maybe next time you visit Scotland?

[aletheiafelinea.livejournal.com]

The photo with the wake is wonderful!

Not often you see Ben Nevis looking like this!
Why? Does it tend to be misty? I love how that cloud looks perched on the top and casting a shadow.

Aww deers!

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Thank you :)

Why? Does it tend to be misty?
Just a little :) It tends to look like this. Not my picture but you get the idea!

[aletheiafelinea.livejournal.com]

Oh, what a scenic peak! *g* Looks like half of my horizon by half of today...

[amaraal.livejournal.com]

Awwww... *wants to be where you are...* Beautiful. And the dear deers again :) Have all the Lochs so funny names? 'Loch Lochy' :)
Next year I have to convince nodbear to visit you, and to bring a ship with us :)

YAY for the models of the Victory and Cutty Sark! *makes mental note - Scotland 2013*

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Have all the Lochs so funny names? 'Loch Lochy' :)
I can only imagine that they ran out of imagination when they got to Loch Lochy! XD

Next year I have to convince nodbear to visit you, and to bring a ship with us :)
Oh yes! I can recommend a certain 44 gun frigate...and her crew

*makes mental note - Scotland 2013*
Adds note to diary :)

[stevie-carroll.livejournal.com]

Ooh, smashing pics there.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Thank you kindly m'dear.