Exploring Scotland's Canals & Lochs by Barge

Inverness is the City in the Highlands where you'll find the warmest of welcomes - whether you choose to visit, explore, shop, relax or just live Inverness. It's in a Scot's nature to be friendly and helpful, and the locals are always up for a chat. Explore this city with your private guide by foot.

With a pickup at your desginated meeting place, you'll be transfered by minibus to your awaiting ship at port.

Welcome aboard!

Take some time to get settled in your stateroom. A champagne welcome will be followed by an evening cruise and dinner on board.

This morning we visit the 14th century fairytale Cawdor Castle immortalised by Shakespeare with Macbeth, housing a superb collection of tapestries, pictures and furniture with beautiful landscaped gardens. If Cawdor is not open you'll visit Fort George, the finest example of 18th-century military engineering you’ll find anywhere in the British Isles. This vast garrison fortress was begun in the aftermath of the Battle of Culloden (1746), which crushed the final Jacobite Rising. You'll also visit Culloden Moor, site of the last battle on British soil in 1746. After lunch you cruise Loch Dochfour to Fort Augustus anchoring for time to admire Urquhart Castle and then cruise the south shore of Loch Ness to moor near Fort Augustus Abbey.

After breakfast you'll cruise up the staircase of five locks through the village of Fort Augustus, which gives plenty of time to shop and look around this pretty Caledonian gem. Fort Augustus also has a charming heather-laced golf course, where the official green keepers are sheep! For your tour today you drive through Glen Moriston and stunning highland countryside to romantic medieval Eilean Donan Castle, setting for the film Highlander. It has an idyllic island setting with commanding views of three sea lochs and frequent sightings of otters, dolphins and the Isle of Skye. Following the abortive Jacobite rising of 1719, the ruins of the castle were abandoned for 200 years until the 20th century when a complete reconstruction was undertaken. You'll dine out tonight at a local restaurant.

You leave Fort Augustus this morning and cruise to Laggan Locks via Kytra and Cullochy locks, across the pretty little Loch Oich and through Laggan Avenue where the imposing woodland comes down to the waters edge. After lunch, you'll visit Urquhart Castle and Invermoriston Falls where if you are lucky, you may see a wild salmon leaping its way upstream.

Today you leave Laggan Locks for a morning cruise across Loch Lochy to Gairlochy. In the afternoon there is the opportunity to see the World War II Commando memorial, or perhaps the woollen mill at Spean Bridge, selling traditional knitwear and tweeds. There will also be a mountain gondola trip which will take you 2150 feet up the slopes of Britain’s eighth highest mountain, Aonach Mor, to enjoy the panoramic scenery from above.

Today you'll cruise from Gairlochy to the top of ‘Neptune’s staircase’ at Banavie, a flight of eight locks and a spectacular feat of engineering. You also pass Moy Bridge the last original, hand-operated bridge on the Caledonian Canal. Your tour is the mystic battlefields of Glencoe and on the way back you visit the Ben Nevis distillery for an insight into the secrets of the various stages of whisky preparation and of course, taste a wee dram or two. Farewell Captain's Dinner on board.

This morning you'll disembark from your barge, bidding your captain and crew farewell as you make landfall.

Upon disembarkation, you'll be transfered by minibus back  to your initial meeting point.

Meet your driver for a private transfer to the Inverness Airport.