Inverness

This was our last port of call and we arrived a couple of days ago. Ann is now back in Nottingham, having caught the train back to Inverkip, Glasgow (where the car was) and then driven back home.

I am in Cayle Marina cleaning Jomima and waiting for the truck to arrive to take us back to Newark. This should happen on Wednesday but these things sometimes change.

Today dawned sunny but the weather forecast was for rain. I therefore decided to make best use of the sun, while it lasted, and take some photographs. I wanted to visit the end of the Caledonian Canal so that I will have seen all of it. The best way to do this was by bike, so I assembled my faithful stead and pedalled along the towpath. It was a lovely ride and, like all tow paths, apart from near the locks, it was relatively flat. The route took me past the Muirtown Flight of three locks and then over the swing bridge to Seaport Marina. This is a British Waterways marina and it looked well organised and a pleasant place to stay. Next I made my way past the Clachnaharry Works Lock and swing bridge. Then finally I reached the end of the canal at the Clachnaharry Sea Lock. Sadly, the tide was out so I was unable to see any boats passing through the lock although two yachts were moored near by waiting to pass through. I hope that you like the resulting photographs.

Gairlochy

Now that we are safely in the Caledonian Canal, we do not have to hurry. Jomima has to be at Inverness, at the other end of the canal, by 31 July 2008 to await collection by truck. She will then be returned to Newark-on-Trent. Today we only completed 5.4 miles with one lock and two swing bridges. All of them are operated by staff from British Waterways so it is considerably easier than our passage through the Crinan Canal.

We found a beautiful mooring at Gairlochy, which is just before the start of Loch Lochy. The guide that we have indicates that the museum of the Cameron Clan is only 4km away. Therefore, we unloaded our bicycles and made our way along a picturesque road to the museum. Unfortunately, the guide gave an incorrect distance and it was more like 4 miles to the museum – particularly when you take into account the long driveway. However, the museum proved very interesting and supplied a lot of information about the Clan as well as the commandoes that trained in this area during World War II. Who knows, the Clan may even supply the next Prime Minister.

Fort William

We left Oban at 08:15 to catch the remaining tide up to Fort William. It was fairly misty but clear enough not to need radar. Shortly after Fort William is the entrance to the Caledonian Canal with its sea lock and small ‘pepper pot’ lighthouse. We were now starting the last phase of our Scottish adventure and our journey, through the canal, to Inverness.

First opened in 1822, the Caledonian Canal was built to provide a short cut between the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, avoiding the hazardous route around Scotland’s north coast. The majestic canal is 60 miles in length, of which approximately 1/3 is man-made cuttings and the remainder is formed by the waters of Lochs Lochy, Oich, Dochfour and Ness. The highest point is 32.3m above sea level and it has three flights of locks, the largest of which has eight locks and is known as ‘Neptune’s Staircase’ - which we negotiated today. In total, there are 29 locks and 10 swing bridges.

The Caledonian Canal is twinned with both the Gota Canal in Sweden, which was also designed by Thomas Telford, and the Rideau Canal in Canada.