Canal cruises throughout Scotland provide a spectacular view of some of the most inaccessible land in all of Europe. And, of course, there’s Nessie to contend with. Scotland’s most famous lake, Loch Ness is a part of the Caledonian Canal cruise, which actually includes several lochs as part of the canal.
The Caledonian Ship Canal was built essentially to connect the North Sea with the North Atlantic Ocean, eliminating a voyage through stormy waters off the west coast. Today, the freight traffic has died down and most of the boats haul only people – specifically tourists. The Caledonian Canal traverses the spectacular and scenic Great Glen between Fort William and Inverness. The boats usually begin their journey at Inverness and travel up the canal and its 29 locks and 3 lochs to Fort William. Then they reverse course to bring their passengers back to Inverness.
Loch Lochy, Loch Oich and Loch Ness, together, take up 38 miles of the journey; the other 22 miles of actual canal provide the unique opportunity to pass through many locks, including one 500 yard long ladder of eight connected locks. » Read more: Canal Cruising Through Scotland
