by Jim and Melanie
On September 3 we began our trip on the Fingal of Caledonia, one of two barges owned by Caledonian Discovery. Each day the barge averaged about 10 miles of progress. The first day it was about 6 miles. We moored that night north of the entrance into Loch Ness. Next morning we were underway before breakfast.
After dinner every evening, the activities director outlined the options for the next day. Our cruise was focused on hill hiking. Mountains rise up on either side of the lochs and canal, while foot paths line most of the way. Passengers could hike, bike, or walk, depending on the weather and their preferences. The activities director led the most challenging of those options, and those who chose otherwise were on their own.
Our intention when we booked the trip was to hike as much as possible. However Jim injured a knee in May and Melanie did in early August, leaving her unable to trek very far. Below we’ll share a few pictures of our outings, as well as some of the vast beauty of the Great Glen.
Foyers Falls
Loch Ness is approximately 23 miles long. Our progress on Day 2 would take us about halfway, to the town of Foyers. On the north side of the loch is a peak that two adventurous passengers chose to hike, led by Steve. On the south side is a less challenging choice, a beautiful waterfall tucked within woods, which we opted for. Roundtrip of our outing was about 3 miles. Part of the journey was on paved roads, and part was on maintained hiking trail.
Captain Adam checked the water traffic from our Foyers mooring. Could there be pirates?
Later that afternoon, Jim posed for a photo. What’s that behind you, Jim??
Fort Augustus
After mooring at Foyers overnight, we proceeded to the locks at Fort Augustus. Jim steered us toward our destination for part of the way. Steering was a challenge for a couple of reasons. It was windy. And, the barge was built in the 1920s. The steering mechanism was via chains and gears. It had a lot of slack. It took more than a full turn left or right to engage the chain and gears to get a response from the rudder. Jim handled the challenge well. He is a former farm boy.
As we neared Fort Augustus, Captain Adam took over the wheel for the final approach to the locks. Moving a 180 ton vessel into and through is a delicate job. Not one for an amateur.
Fort Augustus is a small village on the south end of Loch Ness, with a population of about 650. From the looks of the main street, most of them are involved with the tourist trade.
After passing through the locks, all passengers and a new crew member, Susie, hiked to another waterfall. We enjoyed an ancient cemetery, some tree covered lanes, a boggy patch, ferns, and pushed through shoulder-high bracken on the way. Round trip mileage was about 5 miles.
At the end of our busy day, Chef Kevin served another delicious dinner, which we all enjoyed. What kinds of meals did he fix? Salmon, venison stew, curried chicken, and haggis-stuffed chicken, to name some of the dinners. And there were always vegetarian options. Breakfasts were wonderful, too!
The next day we continued our journey through canal to Loch Oich. Come back next time for more of our adventures.
Reblogged this on How I See It and commented:
Another part of our Scotland barge cruise…
Reblogged this on Catbird Quilt Studio and commented:
A little more on our Scottish barge adventure.
I think I will give up buying travel magazines at the library resale shop, and just follow behind you on your adventures. You all find such interesting things to do!
The made me smile. Thank you. 🙂
Sounds like a wonderful trip! And that does look like Nessy popping her head up behind you. Thanks for the post, my mothers parents were from Scotland and I’ve always been interested in it over there! 🙂 Bob
You should go. We found the country beautiful, the history amazing, and the people very friendly.
Fantastic – I enjoyed my vicarious trip with your photos and video! You know how to vacation!
Thank you. We always try to have a good time wherever we go. Practice helps. 🙂
Nessie!! It’s good to know she’s really there! This trip intrigues me very much–and the photos of the old cemetery and that misty day really appeal!
If you like old cemeteries, buildings, and misty rainy weather, you should go. Most of our days were partly to mostly sunny. September can be a good month.
I’m sorry to hear you were a bit limited in your hiking abilities, but there clearly was enough to keep you happy and active. The scenery is lovely, and the waterfall’s especially attractive. I would have loved taking the helm of the barge, and the experience of the locks. I was surprised by those; I wouldn’t have thought of locks in Scotland.
The photo with Nessie in the background is a hoot. Did she smile for your cameras?
mm, I didn’t see her smile! But the captain was smiling in the wheelhouse.
Yes, the scenery IS lovely, much more lush than we expected. As to the locks, Jim will tell you more about them in a few days.
The hiking is coming along. We did walk a lot on our trip, even though my mileage was limited at any one time. Sunday morning we took a short hike at the reservoir. Probably not quite 2 miles, but the rougher footing was good for me. Thanks.
With the natural beauty, this question will sound strange.
Do you remember what art hung in the gallery on the boat? Do you have a photo large enough for you to see the framed art? 🙂
We don’t have any photos that would show the art with any detail. There were 3 paintings, 2 of which included the Fingal and the other had a sailboat. Also there was an illustrated map right of the doorway to the cabins.
Wonderful scenery. This reminds me I only travel to see plants and landscapes. I´m not interested in monuments nor cities.
In Edinburgh, and indeed all over Scotland, there are monuments galore!! More than ANYWHERE!! But the scenery and history are worth it.
Yes, there are abbeys and churches I suppose. I just saw those flowers and for me that’s worth the trip in itself. The boat looks cool too.
The boat WAS cool. 🙂
What a wonderful trip! So glad to see Jim got to steer the barge…a bit of extra excitement!
Oh, yes, he enjoyed that quite a bit! The captain was generous with his wheelhouse. While maneuvering for locks or to anchor, etc, required his full attention, he didn’t mind company or a moment’s relief at the wheel.
A confirmed stay-at-home, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Loch Ness via your video 🙂 And the beastie~I knew it was there! (They have spotted one in a northern lake in Ca, now, I believe!)
I do enjoy travel, but I love being at home! Thanks for taking a look.
Yes, same here and if I were to travel Scotland is appealing.