Day 4 - Leaving Fort Augustus for Laggan

Day 4 - Fort Augustus: Locks, Laughter, and the Lure of The Eagle Barge!

"Yeah – we're moving today!" Despite the dismal, showery weather, we simply couldn't afford another night in Fort Augustus; our precious 7-day canal license was ticking away. We set ourselves up for the locks, carefully arranging all our lines on the starboard side. We were slated to go through with two other boats – one of them a German vessel, significantly larger than Halcyon Sea. Everything seemed perfectly aligned until, just as we were about to slip our mooring, the lock keeper requested us to move everything over to the port side. Nick, with a sigh of practiced resignation, set about relocating all the lines and fenders to the other side. And then, finally, we were off – through the swing bridge and into the first chamber, the initial step of the daunting five-lock flight.

As with Muirtown, once you reach the top of the first chamber, one of us steps off the boat to assist in pulling Halcyon Sea through the remaining locks. Today, that honour fell to Tracey. The intermittent sun had brought the tourists out in droves, and we found ourselves with quite an audience as we ascended the locks. Many people stopped to ask questions about the boat, our journey, and the intricate workings of the locks. Tracey even had requests for photos with her, which she graciously obliged, holding up the queue (much to the lock keeper's amusement!). The German boat, however, encountered a few difficulties. First, they lost their stern line, causing their massive vessel to swing perilously close to ours. Nick, ever the calm voice of reason, firmly advised them to put out some fenders on their port side. Later, as we were about to enter the fourth chamber, we had to pause between locks because the German boat's stern line had snapped, necessitating a quick rigging of another line. Despite these minor dramas, we made it through without incident, feeling a growing sense of accomplishment. Practice, as they say, makes perfect!

Loch Oich, Tranquil Woodlands, and The Eagle Barge's Embrace

We continued our journey, passing through both Kytra and Cullochy locks, and then through the Aberchalder swing bridge before entering Loch Oich. This is a small, narrow loch, and we had been forewarned at Cullochy that the Lord of the Highlands, a large cruiser whose beam fills the entire width of the lock chambers, would be passing us. Halfway across, sure enough, we saw this impressive vessel bearing down on us. We were in a shallow part of the loch and had to move slightly outside of the buoyed area to create enough room for the cruiser to pass safely.

We carried on through Loch Oich and made our way through Laggan swing bridge, the last obstacle of the day. Once on the other side of the bridge, we travelled through a narrow, tree-lined corridor that was simply breathtaking. We were stopping on the other side, before Laggan Loch, for the evening. It was incredibly peaceful; only a few other boats had stopped here, and the only sounds were the gentle hum of insects, the chirping of birds, and the soft whisper of the wind through the trees. We took Pepper for a walk along the opposite bank to where we were berthed, and the bank led into a beautiful wooded walkway, its floor carpeted with fallen pine needles and leaves. We were the only ones there. It's difficult to describe the profound sense of peace and serenity we felt. Just watching Pepper running along, not a care in the world, simply exploring her new surroundings, was utterly captivating.

On our way back, we popped into The Eagle Barge. Tracey had seen this unique floating pub on a YouTube video and it came highly recommended. We stopped in for a drink and were immediately surprised by how spacious it felt inside. It was absolutely heaving; goodness knows where all the people had come from! The decor was a delightful collection of maritime memorabilia, all arranged in a wonderfully quaint and charming way. The bar had absolutely everything you could imagine, their bar food menu looked delicious, and they even offered fine dining for fourteen seats per night (though these were, of course, fully booked in advance, and we had food onboard anyway). We finished our drinks and returned to the boat to cook dinner. Once eaten, we ventured back out to the barge for a nightcap. There were now only a few people left, and we struck up a conversation with the owner, who kindly allowed Pepper to be off the lead to play with their dogs, Zena and Penny. Pepper was in her absolute element! The owners now live on the barge full-time, and it's open to customers from April to October, five days a week (closed Mondays and Tuesdays). It was truly one of those hidden gem moments. We returned to Halcyon Sea, a little worse for wear but profoundly content, already wondering whether to stay another night. This has, so far, been our absolute favourite place on the canal.Meer informatie