Caledonian Canal
CALEDONIAN CANAL, HIGHLANDS Enjoy the summer evenings to the full with a floating inn and some roamin’ in the gloamin’ by Scotland’s Caledonian Canal, says Fergal MacErlean
Highlands
cotland’s summer twilight, or gloaming, has to be seen to be believed. Its ethereal, seemingly endless quality gives a magical and romantic feel to the warmer months north of the border. With darkness consigned to a couple of hours in the middle of the night, there’s plenty of time to amble about. And if you start out from or end up at the Eagle Barge Inn at Laggan Locks, you can wine and dine under the stars, too.
The legendary entertainer Sir Harry Lauder captured the joy of strolling in the late summer evening with his sweetheart in his 1911 love song
S“Roamin’ in the Gloamin’”. The title comes from the chorus: Roamin’ in the gloamin’ on the
bonny banks o’ Clyde
Roamin’ in the gloamin’ with
my lassie by my side
When the sun has gone to rest
That’s the time that we
love best
Ah, it’s lovely roamin’ in the
gloamin’
ON WATER AND WING
You’ll find the Caledonian Canal just as beautiful as the sky on a warm night, especially if you follow the towpath from the South Laggan Locks. This part of the Thomas Telford-designed canal is home to the Eagle Barge Inn – a floating Dutch barge that is popular with tourists and locals alike.
You can follow the towpath north towards Laggan for a mile and a half to reach the swingbridge by pretty Loch Oich. There you can woo your loved one or, with friends, just enjoy the splendid setting in the Great Glen. Mute swans paint a picture as they sail on the mercurial waters. You might even be lucky enough to see eagles or ospreys on the wing. Do bring midge spray – especially if there’s no wind.
Returning to South Laggan and the welcoming barge you could opt to share the heaped seafood platter – one of a number of good choices among the bar and evening meals on offer. Live traditional music is a feature on this sturdy, pot-riveted old canal barge, which was used as a troop carrier in World War II.
With your feet tapping under a crimson Caledonian sky, it’s a fine place to relish the unfolding summer.
FURTHER INFO
Eagle Barge Inn, Laggan Locks,
South Laggan, Near Invergarry,
Inverness-shire PH34 4EA
07789 858567
www.eaglebargeinn.weebly.com
Fergal MacErlean