After an unforgettable evening beside Loch Ness, we began the final stage of our Caledonian Canal adventure.
Our route carried us south from Drumnadrochit, across the remaining length of Loch Ness and through the five locks at Fort Augustus before continuing towards our home base at Laggan.
It was a day filled with familiar landscapes, shared memories and the bittersweet realisation that an extraordinary week on the water was approaching its end.
Leaving Drumnadrochit
We departed in the morning, leaving behind the friendly boaters with whom we had shared dinner and drinks the previous evening.
Loch Ness stretched before us once again, surrounded by the immense Highland landscape. The water appeared calm and inviting, offering us a peaceful start to our final full day of cruising.
Although we were retracing part of our outward route, the journey felt very different.
We were no longer wondering what lay ahead or worrying about unfamiliar locks and open-water crossings. During the previous week, we had grown comfortable with the boat, the canal and working together as a crew.
That familiarity allowed us to relax and appreciate the scenery more fully.
One final crossing of Loch Ness
Cruising south across Loch Ness gave us another opportunity to experience its remarkable scale.
The dark water extended between steep wooded slopes, with distant mountains creating an impressive backdrop. From the centre of the loch, our hire cruiser once again felt very small against the surrounding Highland landscape.
We passed Urquhart Castle, where we had explored the ruins the previous day. Viewed from the water, its dramatic position on the shoreline was every bit as impressive as we remembered.
Naturally, we continued watching for Nessie.
After two passages across the loch without a sighting, we were beginning to suspect that Scotland’s most famous resident might be deliberately avoiding us. Perhaps she was shy—or simply unimpressed by hire boats.
Either way, the legend had added a little extra mystery and fun to our journey.
Returning to Fort Augustus
Eventually, Fort Augustus appeared at the southern end of the loch.
Only a few days earlier, arriving here had marked the beginning of our Loch Ness adventure. Now it represented another milestone on our journey home.
The village and its distinctive flight of five locks had become familiar, but navigating them remained a significant undertaking. Once again, we needed patience, concentration and close teamwork to guide the boat through each chamber.
This time, however, we approached the task with considerably more confidence.
Back through the five locks
Moving through the Fort Augustus lock flight required us to repeat the careful routine we had learnt on our outward journey.
Ropes were positioned, instructions exchanged and the boat guided steadily from one chamber to the next. As the water levels changed, we kept the cruiser safely controlled and prepared for each movement through the flight.
The work was still physical, but it no longer felt quite as daunting.
Chris, Neil, Naomi and I had developed an effective rhythm. We understood our respective roles and communicated more easily, drawing upon everything we had learnt during the holiday.
Our first passage through these locks had felt like a test. The return journey demonstrated how far we had progressed as a crew.
Familiar waters and new perspectives
Beyond Fort Augustus, we continued south-west along the canal towards Laggan.
The scenery was familiar, but travelling in the opposite direction revealed different views. Places that had represented the beginning of an adventure now prompted memories of everything that had happened since.
We thought about crossing Loch Lochy beneath the Highland mountains, exploring Fort William and becoming thoroughly soaked at Glenfinnan.
We remembered pulling the boat through the Fort Augustus locks, reaching Loch Ness for the first time and finally arriving in Inverness.
There had been castles, museums, historic villages and welcoming pubs. There had also been changing weather, tired arms, shared meals and evenings spent laughing with friends.
The canal had provided the route, but those experiences had created the adventure.
The peaceful rhythm of the canal
Our journey towards Laggan was deliberately unhurried.
After the scale and openness of Loch Ness, returning to the narrower canal brought a renewed sense of calm. Trees and greenery enclosed the water, while the gentle pace allowed us to notice details that might previously have passed unnoticed.
By now, operating the boat had become almost instinctive.
We had learnt how it responded, how to approach the locks and how to work together when something required attention. Tasks that had seemed unfamiliar at the start of the holiday had become part of our daily routine.
That growing confidence made it difficult to accept that we would soon have to hand the boat back.
Returning to Laggan
As Laggan drew closer, the end of our journey became impossible to ignore.
This was where our adventure had begun: the place where we had first boarded our temporary floating home, unpacked our belongings and tried to understand how everything worked.
Returning felt both satisfying and strangely emotional.
We had completed our journey through the Great Glen, travelling from Laggan to Inverness and back through some of Scotland’s most spectacular landscapes.
There was an enormous sense of achievement—but also disappointment that the experience was almost over.
After securing the boat, we began the less exciting task of gathering our belongings and preparing for departure. The cruiser that had initially seemed unfamiliar had become home during our week aboard.
Reflections on the Great Glen
Our Caledonian Canal holiday had given us far more than a route through Scotland.
It allowed us to experience the Highlands slowly, from the water and in the company of close friends. We had travelled beneath mountains, crossed immense lochs and passed through engineering structures that had connected Scotland’s east and west coasts for more than two centuries.
The holiday also reminded us why travelling by boat can be so rewarding.
Progress was measured not by speed or distance but by landscapes explored, locks completed and experiences shared. There was time to notice the changing weather, watch the shoreline and appreciate each stage of the journey.
It was very different from our previous adventures aboard Tilly Mint, yet it strengthened our love of life on the waterways.
An adventure shared
Most importantly, this had been an experience shared with Neil and Naomi.
Operating the boat, tackling the locks and making decisions together had tested our teamwork—but it had also created countless moments of laughter and companionship.
The spectacular scenery will always remain part of our memories, but so will the quieter moments: meals aboard, conversations over drinks and the satisfaction of completing another challenging stretch of water together.
Those moments transformed a boating holiday into something truly special.
The journey home
As evening settled over Laggan, we looked back upon an unforgettable week.
We had crossed Loch Lochy and Loch Ness, explored Fort William and Inverness, visited Glenfinnan and Urquhart Castle, and travelled through the remarkable landscape of the Great Glen.
The Caledonian Canal had challenged, surprised and inspired us.
Tomorrow, we would leave the boat and begin the long journey south. For tonight, however, we were content to remain aboard for one final evening—reflecting upon everything we had experienced and appreciating the last quiet moments of our Highland adventure.
The journey may have brought us back to where we started, but we returned with new memories, greater confidence and an even stronger desire to discover where the waterways might take us next.
