After spending our first night in Scotland at historic Gretna Green, it was time to continue north towards the real beginning of our adventure.
Our destination was Laggan, where our hire boat awaited us on the Caledonian Canal. After months of anticipation—and a long journey from East Sussex—we were finally going to step aboard and begin exploring the Scottish Highlands from the water.
Farewell to Gretna Green
We began the day with a hearty Scottish breakfast, providing essential fuel for the drive ahead.
Gretna Green had been an enjoyable introduction to Scotland. Its history of runaway weddings, anvil ceremonies and romantic rebellion made it much more than a convenient overnight stop.
However, the Highlands were calling.
After loading the car, Chris and I set off with Neil and Naomi for the journey north. The previous day had been about covering the distance from home; today, the changing landscape became an important part of the adventure.
Driving into the Highlands
As we travelled north, Scotland gradually revealed its more dramatic character.
The scenery became increasingly spectacular: wooded valleys, open hills and lochs reflecting the shifting sky. Mountains rose around us as the road carried us deeper into the Highlands.
Almost every bend seemed to reveal another view worthy of a photograph.
After the long motorways of the previous day, this part of the journey felt completely different. The landscape demanded our attention and built our anticipation for the days ahead.
We were approaching the Great Glen—an immense natural fault line cutting across the Highlands from Fort William to Inverness and forming the route followed by the Caledonian Canal.
Arriving at Laggan
Eventually, we reached Laggan and caught our first proper sight of the waterway that would become our home for the coming days.
The Caledonian Canal stretches for approximately 60 miles across the Scottish Highlands, connecting Corpach, near Fort William, with Inverness. Rather than being entirely artificial, much of its route passes through the natural waters of Loch Lochy, Loch Oich, Loch Ness and Loch Dochfour.
Only around one-third of the route consists of constructed canal sections. Together, they create a navigable passage between Scotland’s east and west coasts through some of the country’s most extraordinary scenery.
After travelling for two days by road, seeing the canal before us made the holiday suddenly feel real.
Meeting our boat
Our hire cruiser was ready and waiting.
Unlike the narrowboats we knew from England, this boat was designed for the broader waters and expansive lochs of the Caledonian Canal. It would be our transport, accommodation and floating viewpoint as we travelled through the Great Glen.
Before setting off, we received a thorough handover and safety briefing. There was plenty to absorb: the controls, equipment, mooring arrangements and practicalities of handling an unfamiliar boat.
Even with previous boating experience, every vessel behaves differently. The scale and exposed nature of the Scottish lochs also meant that weather and water conditions would play a much greater role than on many sheltered canals farther south.
Once the briefing was complete, we began unpacking and transforming the boat into our temporary home.
Settling into life aboard
There is a distinctive moment at the beginning of every boating holiday when bags disappear into cupboards, provisions find their places and an unfamiliar boat starts to feel like your own.
We explored the cabins, organised the galley and worked out where everything needed to go. With four people aboard for several days, good use of space would be important.
Outside, the peaceful surroundings provided an irresistible preview of what awaited us.
The Caledonian Canal felt spacious and remote, framed by wooded hills and Highland scenery. It was very different from the narrower, more enclosed waterways on which we had previously travelled aboard Tilly Mint.
The possibilities ahead felt enormous.
An evening beside the canal
Our first evening at Laggan was deliberately unhurried.
After two days of travelling, there was no need to rush away from the base. Instead, we spent time becoming familiar with the boat and enjoying the tranquillity of our surroundings.
As daylight softened across the water, the canal took on a golden glow. The only sounds were the gentle movement of water against the hull and the occasional signs of life from the surrounding landscape.
Sitting aboard with Chris, Neil and Naomi, it was wonderful to realise that we had finally arrived.
The long drive from East Sussex was behind us. Our provisions were aboard, the briefing was complete and our floating home was ready.
Ready for the Great Glen
Tomorrow, we would begin navigating the Caledonian Canal in earnest.
Ahead lay locks, swing bridges, Highland villages and some of Scotland’s most famous lochs. We would experience the scale of the Great Glen from the water and discover how different this journey would be from our previous canal adventures.
For now, however, we were content simply to be aboard.
Our Scottish canal adventure had officially begun.
