The Caledonian Canal: Telford's waterway through the Great Glen

The Caledonian Canal cuts across Scotland through the Great Glen, from Inverness on the east coast to Corpach near Fort William on the west. It is about 60 miles long, but only 22 miles are dug canal. The rest is natural loch: Loch Ness, Loch Oich, Loch Lochy and little Loch Dochfour. Thomas Telford built it between 1803 and 1822, and it has 29 locks, according to Scottish Canals, the public body that runs it.

From Drumnadrochit the nearest place to watch boats climb the locks is Fort Augustus, at the south end of Loch Ness, about 30 minutes by car.

Caledonian Canal facts

Length	About 60 miles (50 nautical miles), 22 miles man-made
Ends	Clachnaharry sea lock, Inverness; Corpach sea lock, near Fort William
Locks	29
Bridges	9 road bridges, 2 railway bridges
Engineer	Thomas Telford, with William Jessop
Built	Authorised 1803, opened 1822
Full transit by boat	At least 2.5 to 3 days
Run by	Scottish Canals

Source: Scottish Canals’ Caledonian Canal and skippers’ guide pages, checked October 2026.

Building the canal also changed Loch Ness itself: it raised the loch by about 1.2 m.

A short history

The idea was a safe short cut for ships, the Royal Navy included, so they could avoid the dangerous passage round the north of Scotland through the Pentland Firth and past Cape Wrath. Scottish Canals adds that the work gave employment after the Highland Clearances.

• 1773: James Watt surveys the route.
• 1803: an Act of Parliament authorises the canal. Telford is asked to survey and build it, with William Jessop. The estimate: seven years and £474,000.
• 1815: Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo removes the naval threat that justified much of the cost.
• 1822: the canal opens with its 29 locks, at a cost of £910,000.
• 1840s: faulty materials cause a partial collapse of the locks at Corpach and the bank at Cullochy. The canal closes while James Walker, an associate of Telford, puts it right.
• 1873: Queen Victoria travels along it.
• 1914 to 1918: traffic rises as ships avoid German patrols off the north coast.
• 1930s: paddle steamers such as the Glengarry and Gondolier run passenger services.
• 1960s: hydraulics replace the hand-turned capstans on the locks and bridges.
• 1995 to 2005: a ten-year restoration.

Today Scottish Canals describes it as used for commerce and leisure, with visitors both on and off the water.

Fort Augustus: the five-lock flight

At Fort Augustus the canal climbs out of Loch Ness through a flight of five locks right in the middle of the village, with the A82 crossing on a swing bridge at the bottom. Visit Inverness Loch Ness suggests sitting with a coffee or an ice cream and watching the boats work their way through. Scottish Canals’ Caledonian Canal Centre beside the locks covers the canal’s history and has a gift shop and a café; it offers year-round facilities and was on winter opening hours in October 2026.

From Drumnadrochit it is about 19 miles (31 km) south on the A82, around 30 minutes. See our Fort Augustus guide for parking and what else is in the village.

Neptune’s Staircase

Neptune’s Staircase at Banavie, four miles north of Fort William, is the canal’s set piece: a flight of eight locks that lifts boats 19 m (62 ft) over about a quarter of a mile of continuous masonry. Scottish Canals calls it the longest staircase lock in Scotland and says a boat takes around 90 minutes to pass through. Ben Nevis stands behind it, and the West Highland railway crosses the canal at the bottom of the flight.

From Drumnadrochit it is about 50 miles, roughly 1 hour 15 minutes by car down the A82, so it fits a day out towards Fort William.

The Inverness end

The canal begins at the Clachnaharry sea lock on the Beauly Firth, then climbs through the four Muirtown Locks and passes under the A82 at Tomnahurich swing bridge. Further south, Dochgarroch Lock protects the canal from changes in the level of the River Ness. VisitScotland puts Dochgarroch about five miles from Inverness and recommends watching the boats pass the manned lock gates there. There is a small herd of Highland cows nearby, too.

Dochgarroch is also where one of the Jacobite cruise piers is. The two-hour Dochgarroch cruise sails down the canal and along Loch Ness as far as Urquhart Castle and back, but it does not land at the castle, so you see the ruins from the water only. For a shorter trip on the loch alone, the 50-minute round trip from Clansman Harbour also only views the castle; the cruise and Urquhart Castle trip from Inverness is the one that includes castle entry. Our Jacobite cruises guide compares them.

Walking, cycling and paddling the canal

The Great Glen Way follows the canal towpath for much of its first, easier sections out of Fort William. In Inverness, VisitScotland recommends the flat 11.5 km River Ness and Caledonian Canal circuit from the city centre.

Paddlers can follow the whole line on the Great Glen Canoe Trail, 60 miles with 29 locks to portage. Scottish Canals asks every paddler to register before setting out.

Winter closure 2026 to 2027

Checked October 2026 on the Scottish Canals skippers’ guide page: the canal is closed to sea-to-sea transits from 4pm on Sunday 1 November 2026 to 9am on Wednesday 24 March 2027 for winter repairs. Local movements may be possible with at least two working days’ notice. Towpath diversions, if any, are listed on Scottish Canals’ stoppages page.

Seeing the canal from Drumnadrochit

Drumnadrochit sits on Loch Ness, which makes up more than 20 miles of the canal route. A simple half day: drive to Fort Augustus, watch the locks and have lunch by the canal, then come back along the loch. With a full day, carry on to Neptune’s Staircase.