Discover the Great Glen

This wonderful journey takes you along the length of the Caledonian Canal waterway through the stunning scenery of the Great Glen. We cruise for part of each day leaving plenty of time to explore ashore. Beautiful short and longer walks can take you along towpaths and woodland trails to picturesque lochs and spectacular waterfalls. You can visit places of interest including museums, visitor centres and castles. At the gateway to Loch Ness is Fort Augustus where the barge will traverse a staircase of five canal locks that make a focal point for pubs and shops of this pretty canal side village.

If you wish to go farther afield we have bicycles on board for you to borrow. Our crew and guide are on hand to show you the best of what the Scottish Highlands have to offer. Relax and watch the scenery slip by or head out and explore on foot or by bike. It’s your choice how to enjoy this cruise of discovery.

Fingal has been running successful cruises since 1996. She is 39 metres long and has the capacity to carry 12 passengers and up to 6 crew members.

Fingal of Caledonia has 7 steep steps down from the deck into the boat at both ends. These have good handrails and we are very used to helping people up and down but the boat is in no way wheelchair accessible. Occasionally when we are at anchor, access to and from the shore is by our smaller RIB support boat. Access to this boat is by a short ladder up to Fingal’s deck. Down below in Fingal there is a single step at each end of the cabin passage and single steps again up into the en-suite and into the shower.

With just twelve guests aboard we make a week-long journey along the Great Glen, traversing the North of Scotland from coast to coast between Fort William and Inverness.

The unhurried pace allows plenty of time to relax and enjoy the area as the barge spends just half of each day cruising. You have the option to stay on board and enjoy the fun of the waterway and the locks or you can make the journey under your own steam by walking, cycling, canoeing or sailing along the Great Glen by the Caledonian Canal.

Once we are safely tied up or at anchor there are woodland and riverside walks, castles and places of interest to visit, mountains galore, towpaths, and off road tracks for cycling. For the more active there are a variety of water sport options. Quiet canal reaches, rivers, shallow bays or more challenging stretches of open water give us a variety of options each day. The activity options depend on where we are, what you would like to do, your chosen cruise and of course the weather conditions.

In the evening we all get back together over a fantastic freshly made meal, share stories of our adventures and make plans for the following day.

At mealtimes all guests and crew sit together around a large table and typically meals are as follows

Breakfast 8am

Lunch 1pm

Dinner 7pm