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The Caledonian canal
is made up of three lochs, one of them is famous,
comprise two-thirds of the 60 mile Caledonian Canal. Loch
Ness, Loch Oich, and Loch Lochy are some of Scotland's
finest engineering examples. You can see all the types of
leisure boating crafts on the water. A visitor centre at
Fort Augustus gives you an overview of the canal's history.
The Caledonian Canal links the east coast of Scotland to the
west coast at Fort William.
 This
link meant that shipping mainly sail, did not have to take
the dangerous Penland Firth and its' Skerries.
The canal was designed by
Thomas Telford and work starting the construction began in
1803 as an ambitious job creation scheme to stop economic
migration. The project was over budget and restricted
by a shortage of engineers. Consequently, the depth
was restricted to 14 feet. Only later was the canal
modified to Telford's design depth of 20 feet. At this
point the canal became the main arterial link for commerce.
Its prominence was only diminished by the construction of
the railways.
The canal can be viewed
in several places in Inverness. At the entrance from
the Firth at the 'Ocean Lock' At Muirtown Lochs, just behind
B&Q's and PC world. Also, close to the Sports and
Swimming Centre. This is thee place to book the Loch
Ness Cruises. At Calley Marine, above the Muirtown
Lochs it is possible to hire cruise boats to sail the entire
length of the Canal, well as far as
Neptune's Staircase close
to Fort William.
For information about what to do
and see in Inverness click here
For information about Loch Ness click here |
