Caledonian Canal

[haggis]

We can always go back another year and explore the coast further. Liam really wants to spend some time on the Caledonian so thats the main part of this trip at least.

 

We will certainly go back up that way again as I want to spend a few days in Glasgow by boat at some point.

Sadly, Glasgow has turned its back on the Clyde and moorings are really limited to one pontoon. Lovely to cruise under the bridges when they are lit up at night though. When they built the Squinty bridge, it stopped boats with much of an air draft going any further up river. You will be OK though. You would never think that Glasgow was once a major ship building city the way it treats its river now.

sad!

 

haggis

[Iain_S]

Also moorings at Bowling. (Need to do tide calculations for sea lock, though )

[Mrs Trackman]

I look forward to hearing much more about this interesting trip. In early stages of planning similar though think I'm a bit nervous about Loch Ness-scary & big?

plan seems to be to do early in year before midges huge problem.

I'm not normally a great life jacket wearer but would certainly wear on Loch Ness. Reckon a bulky one might help with warmth!

[John V]

Been reading this thread with envy......The Caledonian/Crinan have been on my bucket list for many years.

Twice I have been promised a trip on someone else's boat and that fell through and once I thought I was going to get a trip through the Caledonian as crew on a delivery run but yet again it didn't happen.

Hopefully I will get there one day.

[jellybeano]

We went to the little shop at Well of the Seven Heads this morning to buy a newspaper. Came back with that, and wonderful fresh rolls with a choice of freshly cooked breakfast fillings...what a treat. It is clearly a well known local stop off for breakfast supplies.

Loch Oich was really lovely. As was Laggan Avenue. Stopped below Laggan locks for a while. Very peaceful and beautiful. Went to the Eagle Barge Inn for a pint, once they were open, and decided to book in for a meal there tomorrow evening on our way back. Very friendly welcome. We chose our meal choices then, as one has to pre order for dinner.

Arrived at the top of Neptune's Staircase by late afternoon. So we have plenty of time to do the return trip more slowly. Had a good wander round the locks, and made use of the excellent shower facilities there. With Ben Nevis always in the background.........perfect!

[NickF]

 

Is that really what you meant ?

NC should be working and not 'playing' ?

sorry should be haven't, I will edit original

[Giant]

I've done the Caley twice now, both times east to west as crew on a tall ship. The aim was to get through rather than stop and explore, so I've not spent much time looking around, but I'll share a few thoughts:

 

1. Consider exploring the sea area outside the canal before entering at the Inverness end. The approach into Inverness up the Moray Firth after a long sea voyage is lovely and I've both times found myself staring up Cromarty Firth wishing we had time to go explore.

 

2. The area around the Inverness end of the canal seems a bit dead at first sight, but there is a nice pub hiding just by the railway on the west side of the Clachnaharry sea lock.

 

3. A bit further up the canal from there is a bizarre little museum someone has created with a giant scale model of the Titanic and other tat.

 

4. The canal sections are nice enough but there's not really much worth stopping for along them. The big lochs are the best bits of the trip.

 

5. Loch Ness is deep indeed but there are a few shallower areas where you could perhaps drop the hook, especially on the western side.

 

6. Fort Augustus is beautiful. Stop at the moorings on the east side, at the end of Loch Ness. It's a much nicer spot than the ones above the flight.

 

7. Loch Lochy is just as spectacular as Loch Ness if not more so, don't neglect it.

 

8. Whilst at the Fort William end, there is a really nice walk you can do nearby up Glen Nevis which is often overlooked by folk wanting to get up the Ben.

 

9. On your way out, beware the Corran Narrows. The tide rips through at a hell of a pace making eddies and all sorts, and you have the ferry to contend with as well.

 

That's all I can think of for now, but I'll dig up my photos and see if anything else springs to mind.

[Alan de Enfield]

. Went to the Eagle Barge Inn for a pint, once they were open, and decided to book in for a meal there tomorrow evening on our way back. Very friendly welcome. We chose our meal choices then, as one has to pre order for dinner.

 

 

Bit cramped on a table for 4 (but it is a barge), service slow, food excellent, not overly expensive, well recommended.

[Naughty Cal]

 

Bit cramped on a table for 4 (but it is a barge), service slow, food excellent, not overly expensive, well recommended.

We have become a little disheartened with pubs in/on boats. They usually promise so much but deliver so little. The beer is more often then not undrinkable.

 

We tend to avoid them now after being disappointed on so many occasions.

[haggis]

When we took Gamebird, our little Sea Otter across the Caledonian canal, we had a meal in the barge and it was a lovely experience. Fast food it isn't and everyone sits down together to eat. By that time, you have spent time in the small bar with one another and are like old friends. It was a lovely evening and one that sticks in my mind. If we ever cruise the Caledonian again, we would certainly stop there.

 

haggis

[tidal]

You can anchor on both sides of Loch Ness (weather permitting) and having been through about a dozen times I've found that anchoring on the windward side with a line ashore worked best.
If, as usual, the wind is blowing straight up or down the length of it, anchoring at bow and stern was the safest and most convenient way.
But DO buoy your anchors with a good trip-line as there are an awful lot of snags on the bottom and anchors don't come cheap.

 

[jellybeano]

Thanks for all the info re The Eagle Barge Inn. Off there shortly for our meal, will report back.

Spent a lovely time at Banavie. Moored there yesterday, having done the transit in a leisurely fashion from

Inverness to there from Saturday mid afternoon to Monday teatime.

Woke to glorious sunshine. Walked down the flight, to catch a bus from round the corner from Banavie station into Fort William (frequent service on bus 45, 46 and 47). Went to railway station to watch The Jacobite steam train set off at 10.15 with great huff and puff, fully booked with excited tourists. Then time for a wander along the very nice, pedestrianised high street, stopped for a coffee, back to shop for supplies at large Morrisons (built on railway goods yard) and then got the 1212 train back to Banavie....a good morning, and ticked lots of boxes!

Now moored back at Laggan Locks, after a wonderful cruise in bright sunshine, we have been so lucky with the weather.

One thing we had not realised, was that nearly all the pontoons and jetties marked on the Caley Cruisers excellent chart are available to moor at. In our English view, many of them seem like lock or bridge landings, but common practice here is that they are also OK to moor at for a while or overnight. Might need to check with the incredibly friendly lock keepers, just in case.

[Naughty Cal]

Thanks for all the info re The Eagle Barge Inn. Off there shortly for our meal, will report back.

Spent a lovely time at Banavie. Moored there yesterday, having done the transit in a leisurely fashion from

Inverness to there from Saturday mid afternoon to Monday teatime.

Woke to glorious sunshine. Walked down the flight, to catch a bus from round the corner from Banavie station into Fort William (frequent service on bus 45, 46 and 47). Went to railway station to watch The Jacobite steam train set off at 10.15 with great huff and puff, fully booked with excited tourists. Then time for a wander along the very nice, pedestrianised high street, stopped for a coffee, back to shop for supplies at large Morrisons (built on railway goods yard) and then got the 1212 train back to Banavie....a good morning, and ticked lots of boxes!

Now moored back at Laggan Locks, after a wonderful cruise in bright sunshine, we have been so lucky with the weather.

One thing we had not realised, was that nearly all the pontoons and jetties marked on the Caley Cruisers excellent chart are available to moor at. In our English view, many of them seem like lock or bridge landings, but common practice here is that they are also OK to moor at for a while or overnight. Might need to check with the incredibly friendly lock keepers, just in case.

That's handy to know in advance thanks.

 

How did you get in the the Eagle Barge?

[jellybeano]

Back at Caley Cruisers, settled up for diesel (£100 for the week). Shown round their latest boat being fitted out in impressive workshop area. Walked down the canal to Clachnaharry Inn for a very good, reasonably priced evening meal. Portions were vast! A wonderful week, aided a lot by utterly fantastic weather. Coming across Loch Ness today, with the wind behind us, the water was quite choppy. Boats going the other way, into the wind, were being tossed around quite a bit.

One thing we hadn't realised in advance, is that nearly all pontoons are available to moor on. Many are situated both sides of locks and bridges, but the concept of those being only for lock/bridge use does not seem to apply up here. One can expect to moor on them, indeed, you can't actually moor anywhere except to a pontoon or jetty.

[haggis]

Great that you enjoyed your time on the Caledonian. What did you think of the Eagle Barge?

 

haggis

[Waterway2go]

On 28/09/2015 at 16:36, haggis said:

Sadly, Glasgow has turned its back on the Clyde and moorings are really limited to one pontoon. Lovely to cruise under the bridges when they are lit up at night though. When they built the Squinty bridge, it stopped boats with much of an air draft going any further up river. You will be OK though. You would never think that Glasgow was once a major ship building city the way it treats its river now.

sad!

 

haggis

Happily mooring provision on the Clyde in Glasgow has improved in recent years:

City Centre - Broomielaw, free pontoon with power, contact City Council

SECC, free pontoon, contact Scottish Exhibition Centre

Plantation (for BBC and Science centre), free pontoon, contact City Council

Yorkhill, (for transport Museum) free pontoon, City Council

Kelvin Harbour pontoons(attached to Transport Museum) longer stays available for small charge, contact Clyde Maritime Trust

The Council don't do much promotion, and the pontoons are under-used