Diomedea Cruises the Forests of Scotland
07 September 2016 | Crinan Canal
David and Andrea
Short cut or the long way? Hmmm. We wanted to get back to the Firth of Clyde and the Mull of Kintyre was in the way. Fortunately the ever clever locals had built a canal that cuts across the lengthy peninsula back in the late 18th century and it is still very much in use today. The Crinan canal is 9 miles long and takes the mariner to the uncommon altitude of 64 feet above sea level, courtesy of a marvellous system of manually operated locks. With some trepidation we opted for the canal and soon found Diomedea being steadily elevated in intervals of 2-3 metres before coming to rest at the “summit” for the evening. One can go through the canal in a day but many people opt to stay a few nights in the canal for the quiet, woodland experience. It is certainly quite strange to be gliding along with lush forest vegetation almost in the rigging, and the tidal mudflats far below outside the canal walls. Going up is much harder work than going down due to the quite dramatic turbulence of water as the lock is filled with you in it. As a lock is emptied there is very little turbulence and the boat just drops quickly and quietly. Opening and closing the locks is done with “man-draulic” power, using the massive lever arms of the gates. The sluices are operated by a geared manual winch. Overall it was a lovely and fascinating venture which we recommend. There is also an excellent bike path along the canal as well as forest walks to various historic places.