Climbing Neptune’s Staircase

What a wonderful day we had today! So much to see and do. When we got up this morning it was still drizzling with low cloud, but we had confidently been advised by Skipper Iain that it would fair up this afternoon, and we could expect sunshine for the rest of the cruise. Hooray! 🙂

Breakfast was at eight o’clock and consisted of the usual Talisker-laced Scottish porridge, this time followed by scrambled eggs and succulent Loch Fyne kippers. It was all washed down with fresh orange juice and good hot coffee.

We had a visitor this morning. Yaz the steward advised us that Skipper Iain had spotted a sea otter in the loch. Despite the rain we all shot out onto the stern decks, just in time to see a stream of bubbles as the otter had dived below the surface. Knowing he wouldn’t come up where he went down, we waited a few minutes, absolutely not caring if we got wet or not. A few minutes later our patience was rewarded by the sight of the otter surfacing near the banks. I pointed my phone camera towards him and snapped away blindly, and managed to get a photo just as he turned his little whiskered face towards me! 🙂

How lucky did we feel to spot that otter, and what a lovely start to our day. 🙂

We’d been given a departure time by the loch keeper of 9.00am so, after breakfast, Trevor and I went below decks to dress in our overtrousers, cagoules and walking boots, as we wanted to be out on deck as much as possible today, in order not to miss the amazing Neptune’s Staircase, which we would be approaching around half-past ten.

Before reaching Neptune’s Staircase, however, we had to negotiate the Corpach Sea Lock. Trevor went ashore and helped with casting off the ropes, as he and fellow passenger Ian had volunteered later on to “walk the lines” (sounds like a Johnny Cash song!)

As Glen Massan sailed into the lock, Trevor took a photo of her, with everyone on the top deck looking on, and Dan the engineer at the bow with the rope.

We all watched as the Glen Massan rose higher and higher, and soon the gates opened and she sailed out the other side. The lock keepers and several others, as well as walkers who stopped to watch, observed the vessel’s passage, all dressed in waterproofs, hoods firmly over heads, as the mizzle and rain continued. One of the canal people had a lively Border Collie, who we found out was called Luna, and who kept dropping a stick at Trevor’s feet waiting for him to throw it for her. 🙂

As we’d been advised by Skipper Iain that it was about a mile until the start of Neptune’s Staircase, several passengers decided to brave the elements and walk along the tow path in order to get some exercise. In the meantime, Trevor kept throwing the stick for Luna, who shot off excitedly to retrieve it each time; I figured Trevor would tire of it before she did!

The Glen Massan glided along placidly in the canal; we really wished the rain would stop, although we could expect to see the sun this afternoon. Presently we passed and through another couple of locks, and soon we spotted a couple of swing bridges ahead. One was for the railway and the other was a road bridge, upon which we could see the Monday morning traffic streaming past. We had been advised that we had to wait for now, as there was a train due in 20 minutes.

Soon we heard the unmistakeable “chuff chuff chuff” sound of a steam engine, and a minute or so later a wonderful sight appeared – a full steam train whose engine number, 44871, identifed it as one of the Jacobite Service preserved steam trains that runs between Fort William and Mallaig. How exciting! It thundered over the bridge in a huge billowing cloud of steam with a distinctive steam whistle sound, and I managed to photograph it as it followed the track’s lovely scenic route through the trees.

Once the train was out of sight (we could still hear it after it had gone!) an alarm bell and lights started up on the swing bridge to warn people that it was going to open, and it slowly swung away from us. Once the railway bridge was open, the road bridge did the same, and the Glen Massan could now continue on her way. From here, we could see the start of the famous Neptune’s Staircase.

As I’d previously asked Skipper Iain if I could pull the cord to operate the ship’s horn (sad, I know!) he called me into the wheelhouse, and I gave the cord a little tug to issue a satisfying loud “parp” sound which made the people standing in front of the wheelhouse jump! That’s a first – I’ve never sounded a vessel’s horn before now! 🙂

Now Trevor and Ian had their role to play. Dan the engineer issued instructions to Ian at the bow, while Yaz the steward did the same with Trevor at the stern, as they each took their ropes and walked alongside the Glen Massan as she entered the first lock. As I took some photos and video footage of Trevor, I was amused to see a familiar figure appear in the shot – Luna the collie, carrying her stick and dropping it hopefully at Trevor’s feet. 🙂

Once Glen Massan was in the lock, Trevor and Ian made fast their ropes and we waited, watching as the vessel rose almost imperceptibly on the water. Then, when the water reached the same level as that on the other side of the lock gates, the gates opened, Trevor and Ian loosened their ropes, and the Glen Massan glided majestically through. Then it was into the next lock, for the process to start all over again. 🙂

At this point I must tell you a little of the history of Neptune’s Staircase. It was built by famous Scottish engineer Thomas Telford between 1803 and 1822, and consists of eight locks along the Caledonian Canal. The locks were originally hand-powered, using a system of capstans each with four poles, but nowadays the locks are hydraulically operated.

Neptune’s Staircase at Banavie, near Fort William (just north of Loch Linnhe), is kept by Scottish Canals. It is the longest staircase lock in Britain, lifting boats 64 feet (20m). Each lock is 180 feet (55m) by 40 feet (12 m), and it takes boats about 90 minutes to pass through the whole system.

The current lock gates weigh 22 tons each, and require a team of at least three lock-keepers to operate the staircase. They usually operate on an “efficiency basis”; that is, they try either to fill each cut with ascending boats or with descending boats, or to allow for passing, i.e. a dropping craft to pass a rising craft on the same fill/empty cycle.

While all this was going on, and Trevor and Ian were outside in the drizzle carrying their ropes, we all adjourned to the saloon for some coffee, tea and biscuits. I could see Trevor outside the window, and he held up his fingers in the well-known “T” shape, indicating he would also like a cup of tea. I poured one out for him and took it outside, and had to wait until the Glen Massan rose sufficiently in the lock before I could pass it up to him! As I did so, a black and white face with a wet black nose appeared; Luna the collie! 😀

A few minutes later, Trevor asked for a chocolate biscuit, and I got him a Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer, which I tossed up to him on the lock side. He had to be quick to grab it, because Luna was there, quick as a flash! Trevor got there first though… just. 🙂

And so we continued on, through all eight locks, until we had fully climbed Neptune’s Staircase and could now continue along the remainder of the Caledonia Canal.

It was now just after 1.00pm, and the rain had finally stopped. The clouds had spread and… was that the sun we could see trying to break through? Trevor, Ian and anyone else who had decided to walk up the staircase now came back on board and disappeared back to their cabins to change out of their wet cagoules and overtrousers, and soon we were all once again seated around the big communal dining table for lunch.

Lunch was a delicious fresh green salad, with baked ham, freshly-baked bread and warm chickpea, aubergine and butternut squash salad and a bowl of home-made hummus. We washed it down with a cold drink; Trevor and I had beer but others enjoyed a good Scottish gin with tonic and ice.

Once we’d finished lunch, we decided a power nap was in order after our exciting and busy morning. When we awoke, the sun was tentatively starting to peek through the clouds, so we decided to go up on deck and watch as the Glen Massan glided along placidly in the calm waters of the canal. Our next port (and overnight stop) would be in Gairlochy, and we arrived just after 4.00pm.

Showering, shampooing and blow-drying my hair was quite a challenge in our compact cabin, made more so by the fact that the only mirror was in the bathroom, and the power sockets were at the other side of the cabin! I had to improvise by piling up some pillows on my bed and balancing a 5″ make-up mirror on them in order to do my hair. Never mind, it’s not exactly a fashion show; my hair would have to do (and no doubt it would be a mess again before the evening was out).

Soon we were all assembled once again in the saloon for our pre-dinner drinks and canapés (eating again!!). Dinner tonight was scrumptious home-made crab cakes, courtesy of our culinary genius Helen. There was lots of white crab meat in the cakes and they were amazing. We had locally-caught breaded haddock with freshly-made tartare sauce, accompanied by tenderstem broccoli and pea puree. In case we should still be experiencing the odd hunger pang, we finished off our meal with the inimitable cheeseboard once again, then sat back in contentment. 🙂

We watched as the sun went down just before nine o’clock, but we were unable to get any photos because of the proximity of the mountains. We therefore just sat around chatting and enjoying post-prandial liqueurs (I had an amaretto and Trevor partook of a single malt).

As usual, everyone apart from Trevor and me turned in early, before 10.00pm. We had a look at Google Maps to see if there were any pubs nearby, but the nearest one was over two miles away (and we’d have to walk back again!) and, since the pubs all seem to close early in Scotland, we decided we’d just stay on board.

I sat doing some of this blog and reading while enjoying a night cap. We then went out on deck and enjoyed the utter darkness and peace and quiet, the only sound being the gentle lapping of the water against the bow of the Glen Massan.

Then we returned to cabin #3 (JURA) around 11 o’clock and slept very well, after an absolutely great day.