Caledonian Canal

[jellybeano]

On day two of a week's cruise on a hire boat from Caley Cruisers in Inverness. Hire company excellent, very detailed website, with answers to all questions one could possibly want to ask. Very comprehensive, patient and friendly handover session.

Cruising on Loch Ness was SO SO different to our normal English canal cruising. Fantastic wide views, a biting cold breeze, but mercifully very gentle winds. Trees just beginning to turn colour. Now waiting for our passage up Fort Augustus staircase locks. An "inland waterway" with a difference!! Napton bottom lock will take on a different significance, next time we are out on Dulwich 3!

[Alan de Enfield]

Great innit !

 

We did it at the end of September last year - crisp frosty mornings, cloud on the hills, sunshine later.

 

Have you passed the lock where the lady lock-keeper sticks a 'gold star' on you if you are wearing a lifejacket, and chastises you if you are not ?

 

Have you tried the chip-shop half way up the Augustus flight, just time for the crew to nip off and get some whilst you lock up/down.

[The Bearwood Boster]

We did the same holiday May/ June.Weather was a bit Iffy but we still loved the experience.Bow hauling the boat up/down Fort Augustus was a new way of doing locks ! We totally agree that Caley cruisers are excellent(they also have nice biccies in the 'briefing' room).

Trina

Ps we both got gold stars !

Edited September 27, 2015 by The Bearwood Boster

[Naughty Cal]

We are in the early stages of planning our trip to the Caledonian Canal and West coast of Scotland with Naughty-Cal for summer 2017.

 

Really looking forward to it so any recommendations for places to stay on the canal will be gratefully received.

 

Looking forward to some pictures.

[Alan de Enfield]

 

Really looking forward to it so any recommendations for places to stay on the canal will be gratefully received.

 

 

 

We stayed at the Travel Lodge on the way up and then stayed on the boat when on the canal. Don't really see the point of hiring a boat and then staying in B&Bs

 

Part way down the flight (Chip shop on the right hand side - first building)

 

 

Bow-Hauling in the flight.

 

 

Misty Mornings

 

[Naughty Cal]

I was thinking more moorings then b&b!

[Alan de Enfield]

I was thinking more moorings then b&b!

 

Misunderstood.

 

There is not a lot of choice, there are relatively few moorings (probably just a couple of choices per day) so its a case of stopping when you see one, if you do 'full days' you can do end to end it a couple of days (its only 60 miles long), so pace yourself, have a late start and moor up early. Even at about 5 hours per day we did it from end to end and back again in 7 days (including not departing the Marina the first day, and getting back into the marina on the night before the final day)

[haggis]

Have a look at the Scottish canals web site under boating and Caledonian canal. Lot of info there which might be useful - including the skippers guide

 

https://www.scottishcanals.co.uk/activities/boating/

 

 

haggis

[Naughty Cal]

 

Misunderstood.

 

There is not a lot of choice, there are relatively few moorings (probably just a couple of choices per day) so its a case of stopping when you see one, if you do 'full days' you can do end to end it a couple of days (its only 60 miles long), so pace yourself, have a late start and moor up early. Even at about 5 hours per day we did it from end to end and back again in 7 days (including not departing the Marina the first day, and getting back into the marina on the night before the final day)

We are planning a very leisurely cruise, one way in seven days, starting at Inverness.

 

A lot of day one will be taken up with getting the boat across from Inverness Marina and sorting out visitors licences so more likely six days on the canal in total.

[jellybeano]

Spotted the chippie, maybe use it on the way back. Bow hauling up the flight certainly different. Will look out for the gold star opportunity. We brought our own lifejackets with us, rather than wear the bulky hi viz orange ones supplied by the hire company. Glorious views in sunshine this afternoon.

[Naughty Cal]

Where are the pictures?

[mark99]

We are planning a very leisurely cruise, one way in seven days, starting at Inverness.

 

A lot of day one will be taken up with getting the boat across from Inverness Marina and sorting out visitors licences so more likely six days on the canal in total.

Out of interest how do you get to Inverness Marina in your boat?

[Naughty Cal]

Out of interest how do you get to Inverness Marina in your boat?

We will be getting Naughty-Cal to Inverness Marina on a trailer.

 

You can of course just head up the coast but we won't have the time in a two week holiday to do this. So we are taking her by road, having a couple of weeks on the Caledonian Canal and the West coast and then coming back on the trailer.

[johnnie1uk]

Those pics of Fort Augustus flight bring back memories i was a lock keeper there for 3 years.

[jellybeano]

That must have been interesting..... a vast variety of boats coming through? There were 4 very patient, friendly, chatty and informative lock keepers on duty there today.

We are moored tonight on Loch Oich at The Well of the Seven Heads, where there is a small pontoon, it was difficult to spot, as no boats on it, but lovely to be moored at, especially as we are still the only boat here. Some traffic noise from the road, but apart from that, utterly quiet and peaceful, with glorious views all around......bliss! And a useful shop just across the road for supplies on the morning.

[Naughty Cal]

That's handy to know. We had thought we might spend an evening there and then a further evening a little further along the loch at Invergarry

Edited September 28, 2015 by Naughty Cal

[NickF]

I look forward to hearing more from the OP about their trip. I am really encouraged to hear Caley cruisers are good as we have booked with them in May next year, I'm looking forward to it already and booked the sleeper train to get there last week!

 

Naughty Cal, the Caley cruisers web site has a reasonable guide to where safe moorings are, but I guess there are more so tips like the one from jellybeano are always useful. In fact I have just looked at Caley Cruisers site and they do mention it.

http://www.caleycruisers.com/cruising-area/loch-oich/

 

I guess jellybeano is talking about this

 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@57.051372,-4.7976689,3a,75y,121.88h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sA15liXAFnPBIrVUsJwRrJg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/The+Well+of+the+Seven+Heads+-+Lochside+Larder/@57.051372,-4.7976689,652m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x488ed86996846a43:0x2d234a6ed5c9cf9a!6m1!1e1

[Naughty Cal]

I look forward to hearing more from the OP about their trip. I am really encouraged to hear Caley cruisers are good as we have booked with them in May next year, I'm looking forward to it already and booked the sleeper train to get there last week!

 

Naughty Cal, the Caley cruisers web site has a reasonable guide to where safe moorings are, but I guess there are more so tips like the one from jellybeano are always useful. In fact I have just looked at Caley Cruisers site and they do mention it.

http://www.caleycruisers.com/cruising-area/loch-oich/

 

I guess jellybeano is talking about this

 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@57.051372,-4.7976689,3a,75y,121.88h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sA15liXAFnPBIrVUsJwRrJg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/The+Well+of+the+Seven+Heads+-+Lochside+Larder/@57.051372,-4.7976689,652m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x488ed86996846a43:0x2d234a6ed5c9cf9a!6m1!1e1

We have a copy of that guide downloaded already. Its handy enough for pointing out shops and safe mooring pontoons but it is clearly aimed at hire boat crews. We are also looking for nice places to drop the hook which seems to be discouraged for the hire craft.

[NickF]

Don't drop it in Loch Ness unless you have 250m of line! ... Yes that would be great to be able to drop the hook in the middle of nowhere, do you have a tender? You will be able to do the flights of locks at both ends as well which should be interesting. (I suppose that depends on where you launch in Inverness and lift out in Fort William) Us humble hire boaters will be able to do none of those things but I am sure we will have a great time all the same.

 

When are you going, I look forward to reading your very full postings that you always put on here. It's a shame you haven't got time to take N.C. up the coast to get there .. that really would be a trip and a half!

 

Have a brilliant trip,I think it may be a bit different from The Fossdyke!

Edited September 28, 2015 by NickF

[Alan de Enfield]

. It's a shame you have got time to take N.C. up the coast to get there ..

 

Is that really what you meant ?

NC should be working and not 'playing' ?

[Naughty Cal]

Don't drop it in Loch Ness unless you have 250m of line! ... Yes that would be great to be able to drop the hook in the middle of nowhere, do you have a tender? You will be able to do the flights of locks at both ends as well which should be interesting. (I suppose that depends on where you launch in Inverness and lift out in Fort William) Us humble hire boaters will be able to do none of those things but I am sure we will have a great time all the same.

 

When are you going, I look forward to reading your very full postings that you always put on here. It's a shame you have got time to take N.C. up the coast to get there .. that really would be a trip and a half!

 

Have a brilliant trip,I think it may be a bit different from The Fossdyke!

We are taking the dinghy and outboard yes. We will need it at some of the harbours and bays we intend to visit on the west coast as we will either be on the hook or on a swinging mooring.

 

We are not going until July 2017 but we have had to book the trailer already as the chap we want to use gets pretty busy during the summer months. Gives us plenty of time to research where we will go mind.

 

The plan is to get dropped back in the water at Inverness Marina and pulled out at Oban so we will get to do the flights at both ends of the canal.

 

Is that really what you meant ?

NC should be working and not 'playing' ?

If we had the free time we would most definitely be taking NC by sea, however work commitments mean we will only get three weeks off to do the trip which just won't be enough time to get there by sea.

[Derek Porteous]

If we had the free time we would most definitely be taking NC by sea, however work commitments mean we will only get three weeks off to do the trip which just won't be enough time to get there by sea.

 

Talking of free time, we cruised the Caledonian Canal about 15 years ago in our first sailing yacht, "Free Time". We started and finished in our Marina, Inverkip (not far from Gourock). We sailed up through the Crinan Canal and onto Fort William from there. The whole trip to Inverness and back took two weeks and we were not pushing it. It you are limited to a two or three week trip, that might be an option as it certainly would reduce your road/trailing time.

[Naughty Cal]

 

Talking of free time, we cruised the Caledonian Canal about 15 years ago in our first sailing yacht, "Free Time". We started and finished in our Marina, Inverkip (not far from Gourock). We sailed up through the Crinan Canal and onto Fort William from there. The whole trip to Inverness and back took two weeks and we were not pushing it. It you are limited to a two or three week trip, that might be an option as it certainly would reduce your road/trailing time.

Thanks for that. Certainly something to look in too.

[haggis]

It would be good if you could do more of the west coast than you are planning. It has some amazing scenery. Launching on the Ayrshire coast somewhere would be best, as Derek says, as it is a long way by road to the Crinan canal. The Crinan, though only 9 miles long is beautiful. I am not sure of the licence position now that Scotland and England waterways are under different control but you may be able to get a licence which covers both the Crinan and the Caledonian. It used to be that an English licence allowed you to boat for free on the Scottish canals and vice versa. Just had a look at the Scottish Canals web site and there are explorer licences and transit licences so it will be a case of working out the best option for you.

 

 

Haggis

[Naughty Cal]

It would be good if you could do more of the west coast than you are planning. It has some amazing scenery. Launching on the Ayrshire coast somewhere would be best, as Derek says, as it is a long way by road to the Crinan canal. The Crinan, though only 9 miles long is beautiful. I am not sure of the licence position now that Scotland and England waterways are under different control but you may be able to get a licence which covers both the Crinan and the Caledonian. It used to be that an English licence allowed you to boat for free on the Scottish canals and vice versa. Just had a look at the Scottish Canals web site and there are explorer licences and transit licences so it will be a case of working out the best option for you.

 

 

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.