Inverness - Caledonian Canal - Oban

Voyage Number	L-090824
Voyage price	£595
Voyage Dates	24/08/2009 - 13:00 - 28/08/2009 - 10:00
Depart from	Inverness
Finishing Port	Oban
Voyage area	Scotland
Voyage type	Short Breaks
Vessel	Leader
Availability	Available
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Voyage Description

 Inverness - Loch Ness "Nessie" Caledonian Canal - Oban

The whole trip from Inverness to Oban is completed in an incredible deep and long geological fault line that starts near the island of Islay in the south west going right up through Loch Lorne and Loch Ness and forms the shore line right up to Tarbat Ness north of Inverness.

It is a very unusual way to see the Lochs of this great rift valley. There will be time to stop and explore on the way and a lot of fun to be had at the canal locks on your way.

This first part of the voyages goes through the beautiful Glen More down the full length of Loch Ness past Urquhart Castle shown above. Loch Ness is famous for its depth that allows the Loch Ness Monster to hide away for centuries at a time. Well that's the myth of Nessie but you will have to make up your own mind about it.

Loch Ness is certainly deep very long and very scenic.
At the south west end of Loch Ness you come to Fort Augustus where Leader will enter a stretch of man made canal forming one of the links in Caledonian Canal. There are five locks (not to be confused with Lochs) to go up to the level of Loch Oich.

At the south end of Loch Oich there are two more locks to reach the level required for Loch Lochy, what a lovely name. At the south end of Loch Lochy are seven locks to go back down again.
Then right at the southern end of Caledonian Canal a few more locks to descend to sea level and enter the tidal waters of at the northern end of Loch Linnhe near Fort William.

A short sea passage and you are in Oban.
 

Loch Lochy

Inverness to oban via the Caledonian Canal and Loch Ness

Day One

Inverness

This is the last city as you head north in Scotland.

It is ideally placed for access down the Caledonian Canal to the West Coast of Scotland and into the glens out towards Torridon. Further north you will find Wick and eventualy John O'Groats.

It has good rail, coach and air connections and the A9 will take you all the way back to Edinburgh.

It has good restaurants and local accommodation.

Photo cuortesy Fr Paul Hackett

Oban
 

Oban has been described as one of the most scenic travel destinations. The sheltered port of Oban (“little bay” in Gaelic) is surrounded by views of earth, sea and sky, which have enthralled artists, authors, composers, and poets for centuries.

Known as the gateway to Argyll and the Western Isles, Oban is the perfect origin for your own journey to discover the enchantment of the west coast of Scotland.

Oban has always been known as the traveller’s rest. As a small town with a resident population of 8,500 this unofficial capital of the West Highlands often swells with large numbers of visitors.

Oban is renowned for its glorious gardens, its fabulous views, the ocean promenade, islands all around, ancient monuments and castles, and outdoor activities such as diving, hiking, fishing, bird-watching – even whale spotting - especially from pilot cutters and tall ships.

Queen Victoria visited the town and gave it the royal seal of approval when she described it as "one of the finest spots we have seen".
 

Getting to Oban

By Road
Head up the A82 from Glasgow and keep going all the way past Loch Lomond and its steam ships. When you get to Tyndrum turn to port (left) onto the A85 for Oban. Find the North Quay and then further into Town and near Tesco you will find secure paid for parking at Oban Car Hire which does have to be paid for.

By Coach
CityLink offer connections from Glasgow Buchanan Street train and Bus Station and Glasgow Airport.

By Train
ScotRail has trains for Oban that also leave from Buchanan Street Station.

By Plane
You can fly from Central Glasgow to Oban on Loch Lomond Seaplanes - probably the most dramatic way to arrive - certainly the quickest from Glasgow.
 

Accommodation
There are lots of places to stay in Oban, The Official Oban Tourist Office has the best local directory.
 

Leader is a former Brixham sailing trawler, one of the largest of her type ever built in 1892 at the boatyard of A. W. Gibbs in Galmpton on the river Dart. She fished in UK waters until 1907, when she was sold to new owners in Scandinavia. She remained there as a working vessel until the 1960's, when she became a sail training vessel under the flag of the Swedish Cruising Club. In 1985, she was taken to the West coast of Scotland, where she was used for sailing charter holidays.

In 1996 she was brought home to South Devon, and operated from Dartmouth until 1999, when she returned to Brixham.

Leader is rigged as she would have been when first built, as a gaff ketch. She is 80' long on deck, and 105' overall. She displaces about 110 tonnes in sailing trim. She has a beam of 19'6" and a draft of 10'.

Down below, Leader has been fitted out for her modern role. She has accommodation for twelve guests and five crew, a large saloon area, a galley with a large, gas cooker, two heads, two hot showers, and a generator that supplies a ring main with 240v electricity. She has a well equipped nav. station with modern navigation equipment including Radar, GPS and DSC VHF Radio.

Leader was one of the largest of the sailing trawlers, known, despite their Ketch rig, as the 'Big Sloops'.

The Rig

Leader is rigged now just as she was when she fished under sail, over 100 years ago. She has a 'Gaff Rig', indicating that the Main and Mizzen sails are hoisted using a 'gaff', a spar attached to their upper side. The Ketch rig (two masts) was used to divide up the sail area, making each sail easier to handle by a small crew. The large number of sails (up to eight) makes it easy to 'change gear' by hoisting or lowering sails as required, depending upon the strength of the wind.

The Ketch rig is very versatile; good in light winds, when extra sails can be set (such as flying jib and mizzen staysail), good in heavy winds (she can sail under mizzen and staysail alone) and good for manoeuvring (the mizzen can be used to help to balance and turn the boat).