Book Scottish Highlands holiday accommodation

The Great Glen places to visit in the Scottish Highlands

Details

Last Updated on Saturday, 05 May 2012 17:33

The Great Glen A geological fault of the Great Glen slices across the Highlands, From Loch Linnhe in the south a series of freshwater lochs linked by stretches of the Caledonian Canal lead northwards to the Moray Firth, This natural communications corridor divides the Central and Northern Highlands, Loch Ness with its resident monster provides the major tourist attraction. Natural avenue.

From earliest times this route was used to penetrate inland, Calumba went north to visit the Pictish King Brude at Inverness, Bruce appreciated the importance of its strongholds for repelling attacks or incursions by the Lord of the Isles and other recalcitrant northern chieftains.
In the 18.C Wade exploited this natural line of communication, when he proposed a military road network linking the key garrison posts at Fort William, Fort Augustus and Inverness, Today the glen is one of the busiest tourist routes to the north.
Caledonian Canal.
This feat of civil engineering was built between 1803 and 1822 to connect the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean and save vessels the treacherous waters of the Pentland Firth and the long haul round Cape Wrath, Initially proposed and surveyed by James Watt the work was later supervised by Thomas Tellord (1757-1834).
Of the total length of 60 miles, lochs account for 38 miles while the remaining 22 were man-made. Twenty nine locks were required to deal with the varying levels of the lochs, The most spectacular series, known as Neptune's Staircase, is at Banavie near Fort William.
The canal is used principally by pleasure craft and is operated by the British Waterways Board. Enquire locally about cruiser operators: some offer monster hunting systems as an option.
Several companies operate cruises on Loch Ness with departures from Inverness and Fort Augustus. For full details apply to the local tourist information centres.
Nessie.
The initial sighting was made in the 8C by a monk, Despite various expeditions some highly equipped with submarines, helicopters and sonar electronic cameras, Loch Ness has failed to reveal its secret, but the Loch Ness Monster Exhibition at Drumnadrochit provides an excellent introduction to the Nessie enigma.