Caledonian Canal

Loch Ness needs little introduction, and the sight of its dark, deep water, said to hold more than every lake in England and Wales combined, remains one of the highlights of any Highland voyage. Guests can gaze up at the ruined towers of Urquhart Castle from the water, one of the largest castles in Scotland by area. Captured by Edward I in 1296 and later held by Robert the Bruce, its gatehouse was deliberately blown up in 1692 to stop the castle ever being used as a stronghold again.

Further along, Loch Oich marks the canal’s highest point, and the ship glides gently past the tree-lined avenue that runs along its shore. Loch Lochy and the tidal, saltwater Loch Linnhe complete the chain, each with its own character, and together they carry guests from salt water to fresh and back again on the journey through the Great Glen.

The Great Glen is a geological fault line that splits the Highlands in two, and travelling along it offers views found nowhere else in Scotland. Ben Nevis, the highest peak in the British Isles, rises above Fort William at the canal’s western end, and the surrounding hills and glens change character with every passing loch.

Wildlife is never far away either, and guests have spotted red deer on the hillsides, ospreys overhead and, closer to the water, the occasional seal following in the ship’s wake.

Telford’s canal ranked, in its day, among the greatest engineering feats in Britain, and the sight of Neptune’s Staircase, a flight of eight interconnected locks at Banavie, still draws visitors keen to appreciate the scale of the achievement.

The canal’s swing bridges have their own stories too. At Gairlochy, the cast iron Moy Bridge, assembled in 1821, is thought to be the only one of its kind still in existence. It still opens by hand, one half wound open by the lock keeper, the other reached by punt across the water.

Further on, Fort Augustus grew up around a garrison built to keep watch over the Highlands after the Jacobite risings, and the story continues at Culloden, where the last battle fought on British soil brought that chapter of history to its close. Queen Victoria herself sailed the canal in 1873, and her passage gave the waterway its enduring nickname, the Royal Route.

Choose your ship, and begin planning your voyage through the heart of Scotland.

Lord of the Highlands is our five-star, all-inclusive choice for exploring the Caledonian Canal, welcoming just 38 guests for an intimate, unhurried voyage. For a wider collection of Scottish itineraries beyond the canal, Hebridean Princess is also available.

Prefer full board with optional drinks packages rather than all-inclusive? Lord of the Glens, purpose-built for the canal itself, offers a further alternative.