The Great Glen - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 194

LOTS AND LOTS OF LOCHS AND LOCKS
Surveyed by James Watt in 1773, the Caledonian Canal was completed in the early 1800s by
Thomas Telford to enable ships to pass between the North Sea and the Atlantic without
having to navigate Scotland's treacherous northern coast. There are sixty miles between the
west-coast entrance to the canal at Corpach, near Fort William, and its exit onto the Moray
Firth at Inverness, although strictly speaking only 22 miles of it are bona fide canal - the other
38 exploit the Great Glen's natural string of freshwater lochs of Lochy, Oich and Ness.
The most famous piece of canal engineering in Scotland is the series of eight locks at
Banavie, about a mile from the entrance at Corpach, known as Neptune's Staircase (see p.191).
While the canal was originally built for freight-carrying ships and large passenger-steamers,
these days it is almost exclusively used by small yachts and pleasure boats. Good spots to
watch their leisurely progress are Neptune's Staircase and Fort Augustus, where four locks take
tra c through the centre of the village into Loch Ness.
If you're interested in the history of the waterway, it's worth taking a look at the small
Caledonian Canal Visitor Centre , beside the locks in Fort Augustus (see below). For more active
encounters with the canal, you can set off along a section of the Great Glen Way footpath or Great
Glen cycleway, both of which follow the canal towpath for part of their length (see box, p.187).

3

Fort Augustus
FORT AUGUSTUS , a tiny, busy village at the scenic southwestern tip of Loch Ness, was
named after George II's son, the chubby lad who later became the “Butcher” duke of
Cumberland of Culloden fame; it was built as a barracks after the 1715 Jacobite
rebellion. Today, it's dominated by comings and goings along the Caledonian Canal ,
which leaves Loch Ness here, and by its large former Benedictine abbey , a campus
of grey Victorian buildings founded on the site of the original fort in 1876. Until
relatively recently this was home to a small but active community of monks, but it
has now been converted into luxury flats. There are some good cycling routes locally,
notably along the Great Glen cycle route.

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION FORT AUGUSTUS

By bus Frequent buses ply the A82, linking Fort Augustus
with Inverness and Drumnadrochit to the north and Fort
William, 30 miles south.
Destinations Drumnadrochit (up to 10 daily; 35min);
Fort William (up to 9 daily; 1hr); Inverness (up to 9
daily; 1hr).
Tourist o ce The car park, north of the canal (April
& May Mon-Sat 9.30am-5pm, Sun 10am-4pm; June
Mon-Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 10am-4pm; July & Aug Mon-
Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 10am-4pm; Sept & Oct Mon-Sat
9.30am-5pm,

10am-3pm; T 01320 366779). The very helpful tourist
o ce hands out useful free walking leaflets and stocks
maps of the Great Glen Way (see box, p.187).
Caledonian Canal Visitor Centre Ardchattan House,
Canalside, by the locks (Easter-Oct daily 10am-1.30pm &
2-5.30pm; T 01320 366493). Houses a small exhibition
showing why, when and how the Caledonian Canal was
built. Black-and-white pictures reveal how the canal
looked in the nineteenth century, but aside from these
(and a dusty old telescope) there's little in the way of
proper exhibits. Sun 10am-3pm; Nov-March daily

TOURS AND ACTIVITIES
Boat tours From its berth by the Clansman Centre, near
the swing bridge, Cruise Loch Ness sails 5 miles up Loch
Ness (daily; 1hr; £13; T 01320 366277, W cruiselochness
.com), using sonar technology to provide passengers with
impressive live 3D imagery of the deep where underwater

cave systems, salmon, cannibalistic trout (and, some would
speculate, Nessie) are to be found.
Fishing The tourist o ce (see above) can advise you on
how to obtain permits to fish the loch or nearby river.

ACCOMMODATION
Corrie Liath Market Hill, half a mile south of the centre
along A82 T 01320 366409, W corrieliath.co.uk. Small,
thoughtfully managed B&B whose comfortable rooms

have books and DVDs for guests to enjoy. The garden has a
barbecue hut for use in the summertime. £65
Cumberlands Campsite Glendoe Rd, by Stravaigers