23-29June 2025
We have cleaned Saphir and stocked her with water, food, and drinks so we’ll have everything we need for our journey through the canal. Our friends Anders and Karin have arrived to help us navigate the canal. After all, we have 29 locks to pass through.
The Caledonian Canal is about 50 nautical miles (92 km) long and consists of three lochs connected by 19 nautical miles (35 km) of hand-dug canals. Before setting off, we have time for a walk around the island, including a visit to the unmanned farm shop, and we end the evening with a wonderful dinner at the restaurant.
The following morning, we head on to Fort William and the Corpach Locks. In the afternoon, we pass through the first lock and moor inside the basin, ready to enter the first section of the canal the following morning. It rains a little, but we stay warm and dry under our hardtop and canopy.
Anders and Karin do a fantastic job handling the locks, and before long we’ve made it through the first five locks and are enjoying our leisurely cruise along the canal.
When we reach the next flight of locks, we first have to wait for the steam train to pass and for the boats heading downstream to complete their lockage. Then it’s our turn to make our way up Neptune’s Staircase, a series of eight locks with a total rise of 19 metres. The ascent takes us just under two hours.
Once at the top, we continue along the canal, passing through two swing bridges and four more locks before reaching the first loch, Loch Lochy. As it’s still fairly early, we decide to continue across the loch and pass through Laggan Locks before mooring alongside the canal for the night.
We discover a pub or more correct Anders discover it on a barge just a few boats away from us. We somehow completely missed it the previous two times we’ve been here. It’s a wonderfully cosy place and one we can highly recommend.
We continue our journey along the canal and across Loch Oich, the highest point of the canal. From here, it’s all downhill as we begin locking down. When we arrive at Fort Augustus, we’re rewarded with a stunning view of the flight of locks leading down towards Loch Ness.
It was lovely to explore a small village, do a bit of shopping, and enjoy dinner in the evening. Our journey then continued to Loch Ness, where we went looking for its famous resident. We dropped anchor in the bay next to Urquhart Castle. Anders and Karin took a quick swim, but it was far too cold for the rest of us after spending the past few weeks swimming in water that was 27–30°C.
We cruise across Loch Ness, pass through the locks into the final section of the canal, and moor in the Inverness harbour basin. Now there’s only one lock left before we’ve completed the entire canal and can set sail across the North Sea towards home in Sweden.
Before leaving Inverness, we take a walk into town and enjoy dinner at a cosy Italian restaurant after trying our luck to get a table at several different places.
The evening ends with another round of Hitster, and this time Karin takes the win. A perfect ending to a fantastic week—no seasickness and no unexpected swims! A huge thank you to Karin and Anders for making our week so memorable.
One more day before we set off. We dock in the harbor and find a very cozy pub nearby where we settle in and enjoy the evening. On the way back, we spot a fantastic sign that makes us smile and truly feel that the journey is coming to an end – now we are almost home.
Hugs Eva
Sailing with Saphir 