Old Photographs Fort Augustus Scotland

Old photograph of Fort Augustus, Scotland.

Old photograph of Fort Augustus, Scotland.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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Tour Scotland Photograph Cruise Boat Fort Augustus Loch Ness

Tour Scotland photograph of a cruise boat returning to Fort Augustus from Loch Ness, Scotland. Loch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately 23 miles South West of Inverness. Its surface is 52 feet above sea level. Loch Ness is best known for alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as " Nessie ". Loch Ness is connected at the southern end by the River Oich and a section of the Caledonian Canal to Loch Oich. At the northern end there is the Bona Narrows which opens out into Loch Dochfour, which feeds the River Ness and a further section of canal to Inverness. Loch Ness is the second largest Scottish loch by surface area at 22 square miles after Loch Lomond, but due to its great depth, it is the largest by volume in the British Isles. Its deepest point is 755 feet making it the second deepest loch in Scotland after Loch Morar. A recent survey discovered a crevice that pushes the depth to 889 feet. It contains more fresh water than all the lakes in England and Wales combined, and is the largest body of water on the Great Glen Fault, which runs from Inverness in the north to Fort William in the South.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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Tour Scotland Photograph Fort Augustus

Tour Scotland photograph of the busy locks on the Caledonian Canal at Fort Augustus, Highlands, Scotland. The Caledonian Canal connects the Scottish east coast at Inverness with the west coast at Corpach near Fort William in Scotland. The canal was constructed in the early nineteenth century by Scottish engineer Thomas Telford. The canal runs some 60 miles from northeast to southwest. Only one third of the entire length is man made, the rest being formed by Loch Dochfour, Loch Ness, Loch Oich, and Loch Lochy. These lochs are located in the Great Glen, on a geological fault in the Earth's crust. There are 29 locks, including eight at Neptune's Staircase, Banavie, four aqueducts and 10 bridges in the course of the canal.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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Tour Scotland Photograph Barge Caledonian Canal

Tour Scotland photograph of a barge being towed through the Locks on the Caledonian Canal at Fort Augustus, Scotland. In 1843 part of Corpach double lock collapsed. This led to a decision to close the canal to allow repairs to be carried out, and the depth was increased to 18 feet at the same time. The work was designed by an associate of Telford, James Walker, and completed by 1847, but not all of the traffic expected to use the canal did so. Commercially, the venture was not a success, but the dramatic scenery through which it passes led to it becoming a tourist attraction. Queen Victoria took a trip along it in 1873, and the publicity surrounding the trip resulted in a large increase in visitors to the region and the canal. The arrival of the railways at Fort William, Fort Augustus and Inverness did little to harm the canal, as trains were scheduled to connect with steamboat services.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.

Tour Scotland Photograph Boats Caledonian Canal

Tour Scotland photograph of boats in the Locks and Caledonian Canal at Fort Augustus, Scotland. Tour Inverness and Loch Ness. The canal was conceived as a way of providing much needed employment to the Highlands region. The area was depressed as a result of the Highland Clearances, which had deprived many of their homes and jobs. Laws had been introduced which sought to eradicate the local culture, including bans on wearing tartan, playing the bagpipes, and speaking Gaelic. Many emigrated to Canada or elsewhere, or moved to the Scottish Lowlands. The canal would also provide a safer passage for wooden sailing ships from the north east of Scotland to the south west, avoiding the route around the north coast via Cape Wrath and the Pentland Firth.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.