Looking for magic in the Caledonian Canal

We left Oban on a gloomy morning and made way toward Fort William, starting point of the Caledonian Canal.

This canal connects the West coast (Fort William) and the East coast (Inverness) of Scotland along the Great Glen, a geological fault in the earth’s crust that creates a passage between the Scottish Highlands.

When we arrived at Corpach, the entrance and first lock of a series of 29, we were a little anxious to understand what we needed to do. The lock’s staff explained everything in a practical and joyful style.

Next came the Neptune’s stairs, a series of 8 locks. The crew members go ashore with the lines and ‘walk’ the boat through each of the locks. During the filling of the lock, the crew members need to constantly adapt the length of the lines as the level of water changes. With our nice sailboat and Canadian flag, were getting a lot of attention from the tourists visiting the Neptune’s stairs. Some people even asked to take pictures with us. This was quite enough for the first day. Our permit allows us to stay in the Canal for 7 days. We attached Fabule to a pontoon in Banavie.

Banavie

In the distance, we saw the steam of a legendary train. Operators of ‘The Jacobite‘, provided the steam engine and carriages for the ‘Hogwarts Express’ as seen in the ‘Harry Potter’ films. It is a very popular railway line, fully booked for the summer.

In the evening, the clouds dissipated and disclosed magnificent mountains. Banavie is the closest village to Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the UK (1345 m).

Laggan

On the second day, we continued our way through locks and swing bridges. Then, we sailed through Loch Lochy (how original) until Laggan. We decided to stay 2 days in this beautifully green area. Strong winds were forecasted and the windage due to the size of our boat makes the maneuvers in the locks a little tricky. We made a dent to Fabule’s hull and were a little down. Before the rain started the next day, we walked along the canal and enjoyed the scenery. We found out later that the locks were actually closed for one day because of gusts reaching 40 knots.

Fort Augustus

Laggan Lock was the highest point in the canal. From now on, our travel in the canal was going down. We crossed swing bridges, Loch Ouich and additional locks before arriving in Fort August. The progression in the canal requires a lot of attention from the skipper and hard work from the rope handlers. We were very happy to have Romaine on board.

In the evening, we were tired when we arrived in Fort Augustus. With shop, restaurants and historic sites, this village attracts many visitors.

Loch Ness

During the next stretch, we sailed trough Loch Ness. It is a long Loch covered with forests. What if we could see Nessie? To add a little incentive, we used chocolate as a bait. However, Nessie did not show itself.

In our hearts, we still believe that there is magic out there. Abyssal monsters, UFOs, Leprechauns, sea kelpies, fairies circles… Scotland is full of fantastic tales across the ages. This must be a reason why so many people come to visit.

Inverness

The last night we spent in Dochgarroch. In the meanwhile, we had made friends with other boats travelling through the canal. The end of the canal also meant that Romaine’s stay was over. She took the train from Inverness back to Glasgow before returning home. We loved sharing this part of our journey with her.

As for us, we will take care of some boat and personal projects in Inverness and look for a weather window to cross the North Sea to Norway.