The Caledonia Canal

I left off at the beginning of the Caledonia canal because I didn’t want to rush through it while I was running too long on the last post.

Have you ever built up a place so much in your own mind that you were worried to ever go there? That was what I was thinking about the Caledonia Canal. We had seen photos of our boat in the canal when it was owned by Braun and Tina Jones and it struck us as one of the most enchanting places we had ever seen – if photos could be believed…

When we first planned the trip across the Atlantic and we were deciding where we would spend our first summer, the Caledonia canal was on that list. I have no idea in what world of fantasy I was living that I thought we would be able to make it all the way to the North Sea from Florida and still find our way to Portugal for the winter – as you can see, the deep chasm between reality and fantasy in my mind is just one of the challenges my poor husband has had to manage. But something shifted in my mind when we arrived in Kinsale, Ireland on that first summer of 2019. I had a deep sense that “we had arrived” and the impetus to keep going, going, going, just sort of dwindled and I began enjoying, enjoying, enjoying. I still find myself in the dichotomy between these two competing interests. Because we must keep moving or we will miss entire countries, the balance is harder to maintain than one might think.

One of the agenda items that has kept us moving in the right direction was my sisters planned arrival in Bergen (today as it happens). Because of this hard date on the calendar, we have been feeling pressured to make this date here, and not linger too long in any one place up until our arrival 3 days ago. That said, if we were to linger anywhere, we wanted the Caledonia canal to be that place.

I’m happy to report that it did not disappoint and in every respect, it lived up to our highest expectations.

Let’s be honest, weather can make or break a trip – and Scotland is not known for its clear skies. But for whatever reason, those rainy days and cloudy skies were exactly what we were expecting in Scotland, so we weren’t too upset when it delivered. When the sun did emerge and we were graced with the warmth and blue, it was a treat rather than expectation. It probably helped also that we were in Kas, Turkey all winter following a summer in Greece when we went MONTHS without seeing a single rain cloud. This just felt like the healthy and happy opposite.

We arrived near Fort William, on the west side of the canal the day before we intended to begin the transit. Due to some technical problems with their website, we had to take a taxi to the canal and attempt to work out the problem. They are lovely and friendly people but they execute British efficiency in operating the canal and they don’t like for people (especially 19.5 meters of boat) to rock up and expect to push into the que.

The canal was completed in 1822 and designed by Thomas Telford – a man widely immortalized on both sides of the canal in streets and plaques. Comprised of 29 locks and 11 swing bridges, the canal which is made up of both natural lochs and man-made canals, bisects Scotland through the gorgeous Highlands thus eliminating 300 miles of treacherous passage in the North of Scotland on the North Sea. The canal is an engineering wonder by any measure but that it was constructed 2 centuries ago is truly impressive.

Not only is this a treat for boaters – campers, hikers and cyclists enjoy it too. There are numerous campgrounds spanning the entire 100 km path and there is a wonderful and mostly flat trail used by locals and tourists alike. At each of the locks we found helpful, professional, and knowledgeable staff ready to help. Even tourists offered to pitch in with grabbing a line when necessary.

The permit whose cost is dependent on size, is valid for 1 week. While it probably would take a minimum of 3 days to transit the canal due to lengthy stops while waiting for the water to rise or fall depending on which way you are traveling, we took 5 days and honestly, we could have stayed much longer if time was of no consequence. There are shower, toilet, and laundry facilities the entire length of the canal as well as pontoons to which one can moor for the night. All of this is included in the cost of the weeklong permit. I found it to be well worth the expense.

The beginning of the canal at the Western most point is the very impressive Neptune Staircase, a series of 8 locks At the highest the canal reaches over 106 feet, and then begins the descent back to sea level on the Eastern side near Inverness.

Every moment of the journey was delightful, if busy. Jack manned the bow lines, me the stern. This was an “all hands on deck” trip for the entire week and I wouldn’t change a moment of it. The canal winded its way through the magnificent Scottish Highlands and, at time, felt as though we were drifting through a forest. The foliage all around us was spectacular and the towns we locked through we charming and quaint. It goes without saying that Gratitude was one of the larger vessels in the canal and she attracted her share of attention. Alec is the typical Gratitude Ambassador with Jack falling into a distant 3rd place most of the time. But on this transit, Jack became the primary Gratitude ambassador and spent time chatting with various tourists interested in how Gratitude, with her big American flag on the stern, came to be in this little-known area of the world.

We arrived in Inverness with 2 days to wait until the weather was nice enough to cross the North Sea for Bergen, Norway. Perfect timing really since we needed to re-provision, and I needed to prepare a few meals for the 50 hour passage.

And finally, a little shout out to James and his lovely wife who came to visit us in Inverness and brought us some lovely traditional shortbread cookies and a quaich. I had never heard of this traditional cup with 2 handles. It is sometimes used in weddings but also as a friendship greeting. It was lovely to meet you both and we wish you all the best on your journey!