Lord of the Glens set off from Fort Augustus during breakfast, sailing southwest along the Caledonian Canal towards our day’s destination of Corpach at the end of the canal. Our morning included talks from Buzz on the Caledonian Canal, Anna on smart phone photography, and the Highland scenery to view out the window as we listened to the presentations.
After lunch, the ship made its way down Neptune’s Staircase, a series of eight locks that lowers the canal by 19 meters. Sunshine provided pleasant viewing of both the locks and Ben Nevis to the southeast. While still in the locks, we disembarked for a visit to the Glenfinnan Estate, an historically important landmark in Scotland. Here Bonnie Prince Charles raised his standard in 1745 to begin his march to regain the thrown for the Stuarts. Glenfinnan is also known as the site of the viaduct used in the Harry Potter films.
The day ended with a talk from Alistair Gibson, the Glenfinnan estate manager, with an overview of all that managing such a large estate entails.
