TripSailor.com® Sailing Blogs

We need as early a start as possible says the skipper, so we are all ready to cast off as soon as the bridge-keeper arrives. I go up and ask "when do you do the first swing of the bridge?" As soon as you get the boat here is his reply and hence quickly back to the boat and cast off.

Through the bridge and along to the Laggan Locks and we are going down!

Out onto Loch Lochy and perhaps we can sail. Cover off and no, there just isnt enough wind. So back on with the donkey and chug along.

Down to Gairlochy, find the entrance to the next stretch of the canal and its two more locks with a swing bridge between them.

Now its the longest canal stretch all the way down to the sea.

We reach Neptunes Staircase at Banavie just at lunch time, and the canal guide says "it may take three hours to get through" so off we go to see the lock-keeper to see if we have timed it right.

No such luck, he has just started to pass two yachts down the staircase, which is a flight of eight locks…  It will take an hour and a half to get them down, an hour and a half to get the next group up so the next down session will be at about 15:00

Once we get started then it will take us another hour and a half to get down. So anyone thinking about using the canal please note that it can take up to 4.5 hours to get through the staircase!

So there we are sitting at the top of the staircase and we can see all the way down to Loch Linnhe and the sea, but we cant get going!

We clear the last lock of the staircase at 16:30 and the canal locks all shut at 17:30 so even my "two days to get through" is looking tricky. Up with the revs a little and down into the next pair of locks. Can we get diesel at the fuel quay we ask? Yes, but not if you want to get out to the sea today. OK so we will have to go with what we’ve got.

Into the sea lock at Corpach, the gate opens, and we are out!

No wind and a glassy sea so we motor over to Fort William and tie up next to a trip boat, before going ashore for provisions, beer and a meal.

It is a good job its a tourist town,at least the shops are still open.

Yes we are still in Scotland, we hear the swirl of the Pipes, and find the local high school Pipe Band is marching up and down the High Street!