Visit Scottish Highlands aboard a barge

A “Wee Hill” in the Scottish Highlands was a challenging hike for the author and his wife, Katherine, above. The couple spent six days cruising on a retrofitted barge down a 60-mile waterway with 29 locks, stopping for short hikes along the way. Photo by Don Mankin

Inverness, Scotland, has a walkable historic downtown as well as a waterfront path along the Ness River. Photo © Ayome Watmough | Dreamstime.com

A once-in-a-lifetime rainbow appears over Loch Oich, Scotland, as viewed from the barge on which the author traveled. Photo by Don Mankin

By Don Mankin
Posted on October 01, 2024

I leaned back in my deck chair, basking in the sun and enjoying the warm breeze. Languorously I gazed at the lush Scottish scenery slowly slipping by.

Wait, what? Sun? Warm breeze? Scotland?

It was August, and my wife, Katherine, and I were cruising down the Caledonian Canal from Inverness, through Loch Ness, to Fort William on a colorful, retrofitted barge during what passes for a heat wave in Scotland.

The Caledonian Canal was constructed in the early 19th century to connect the west coast of Scotland near Fort William to the east coast at Inverness on the Moray Firth.

About a third of the 60-mile length of the canal is manmade. The rest runs through several lakes, including Loch Ness.

In addition to lochs, there are locks — 29 of them — to raise the canal more than 100 feet at its highest point.

The canal is located along the Great Glen, a straight geological fault that runs through the highlands, featuring some of the most historic and beautiful scenery in Scotland.

The Ros Crana — the name of the red, green and yellow barge operated by Caledonian Discovery — contains six cabins with private baths, a lounge, dining area, and spacious outdoor deck where I spent much of the week-long cruise.

River walk and Old Town

Our trip started in Inverness, the largest city in the Scottish Highlands. This walkable city features an Old Town, with historic buildings dating back to the 18th and 19th century, and the River Ness flowing through the heart of the city to Loch Ness.

For three days prior to our cruise, we wandered leisurely through Old Town and along the Ness Walk, a leafy promenade that lines the river on both banks. Along the flat, peaceful walk are stately homes, cafes, restaurants, a botanical garden and the 19th-century Saint Andrew Cathedral.

One of my favorite sights was the 18th-century Old High Church, the oldest church in Inverness, whose graveyard overlooks the river.

A series of Victorian footbridges less than a mile from the city center led to a cluster of small, wooded islands in the middle of the river, then across to the other bank.

On one of the islands, I sat on a fallen tree trunk that had been carved into an imagined likeness of Nessie (the Loch Ness monster). From my perch on the Nessie log, I contemplated the rivulets on the shallow river as it flowed past.

Through lochs and locks

After three days in Inverness, it was time to board the barge and begin our cruise. For the first couple of hours, the boat glided down the narrow canal, the gentle put-put of the engine and the tinkling of water flowing past the bow were the only sounds.

Everyone sat on the deck, drinking beer or gin and tonics, soaking up the sun and gazing at the lush, emerald green countryside.

For the next several days, we cruised, basked in the sun and hiked. The hikes ranged from a few easy miles along the shore of a loch past a castle, to a more challenging trek up and down “Wee Hill,” which wasn’t anywhere near as “wee” as we expected.

We trudged through knee high heather and pointy, shoulder high gorse. Roots, weeds and underbrush grabbed at our boots. When we finally reached the crest of the hill, we were rewarded with a spectacular view of Loch Oich in the distance.

We also hiked up a gorge, alongside plunging falls, to a café at the top for ice cream. Then we took an easy stroll on shore to explore the ruins of Invergarry castle, stronghold of the MacDonells of Glengarry, built in the 17th century.

After the castle, we walked through the woods along the shoreline, then stopped for tea and scones at the Glengarry Castle Hotel, an elegant 19th-century baronial mansion.

Leisurely hikes

My favorite hike was up a gentle slope overlooking Loch Lochy to the estate of the Cameron Clan in Achnacarry. Besides being the historical home of such luminaries as David Cameron, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and James Cameron, director of the movies Terminator, Titanic and Avatar, it was also the training site for WWII commandos from the U.S., Britain and other allied nations.

More of a leisurely walk than a hike, it was the most serene of all the hikes we took. It was just Katherine and I plus another couple, so the peaceful walk unfolded at our own pace.

The scenery was bucolic, the views of the bay and our colorful barge at anchor were sublime, and the weather was balmy and bright. The easy path took us past flocks of grazing sheep, the Clan Cameron Castle, a small clan museum, and an old, rustic church.

A sailboat, stand-up paddle boards, bikes and canoes were also available on board the cruise for use by the guests. Most every day, many of the guests rode bikes along the canal path, meeting up with the barge at the next dock or lock.

A transcendent moment

This was a trip filled with memorable moments, but nothing matched the after-dinner light show on the fourth day of the cruise.

We were anchored in a secluded corner of Loch Oich, just offshore the castle ruins. There was little else around us, other than water, trees, sky and a couple of other boats. The slanting rays of the setting sun, filtered through patches of mist, turned the emerald hills to gold.

As we were finishing our dinner, we spotted a rainbow through the windows of the dining cabin. We rushed outside with our cameras to capture the most incredible rainbow I have ever seen.

With a full 180-degree arch and brilliant sunbreaks illuminating the rainbow, ground and puffs of mist, it was a spectacular symphony of vivid color. All chatter stopped. We stood hushed, enthralled by the scene.

Then our guide, sitting on the roof of the wheelhouse, began to play a wistful tune on a recorder, followed by Martin, our skipper, playing a traditional Scottish tune on a tin whistle. A sweet sound of music to accompany a long moment of breathtaking beauty.

In the words of one of the guests, “I think we found God.”