Fort Augustus: where the road moves for the boats

Fort Augustus usually appears towards the end of one of our private tours, and after several days exploring the North Coast 500, its arrival can come as something of a culture shock. We have become accustomed to open landscapes and communities where even the busier places feel relatively quiet, only to find ourselves among coaches, cafés, souvenir shops and considerable numbers of visitors. Its position at the southern end of Loch Ness, on the route used by day tours travelling to and from Skye, explains much of that activity. While I wouldn’t suggest it to anyone seeking Highland solitude, I do enjoy stopping here, because running through the middle of the bustle is something that obliges everyone involved to take their time.

The Caledonian Canal carries boats through the village by way of a staircase of five locks, lifting them away from Loch Ness or lowering them towards it as each chamber fills or empties. Once a boat has entered and the gates close behind it, there is little for those aboard to do beyond tending their ropes and waiting for the water to reach the required level, while those of us alongside can follow the whole operation without contributing anything more strenuous than our attention. It sounds a fairly modest attraction until you find yourself watching a vessel gradually climb through the centre of a village, becoming sufficiently interested in its progress that you want to stay and see it reach the next chamber.

If that vessel is tall enough, its passage also requires the A82 to surrender its place in the proceedings. Traffic stops at the barriers while the swing bridge turns out of the way, allowing a yacht to pass through the gap where cars were travelling a few moments earlier. I particularly enjoy watching this with an ice cream from one of the canalside shops, although anyone requiring more substantial refreshment has plenty of choice, whether that means fish and chips, coffee or somewhere to sit down for lunch. Between the boats, their crews and the people gathering to watch, there is usually enough happening to keep me occupied without investigating how many different objects can carry a picture of the Loch Ness Monster.

For all its visitor traffic, Fort Augustus is also somewhere people pass through at a much gentler pace, with long-distance walkers and cyclists sharing the village with those setting off on Loch Ness cruises or simply settling onto a bench beside the canal. Its older identity survives in the Gaelic name Cille Chuimein, meaning Cummein’s church, while the modern name recalls the eighteenth-century government fort, whose story I will leave for another article alongside the construction of the canal. On a touring day, I am quite happy to enjoy what is in front of us, giving guests time to watch the locks, look out across Loch Ness and find some refreshment before we continue. It is a busier Highland experience than much of what has come before, but watching a boat work its way past can make the crowd around us feel rather less important.

To learn more, book one of our North Coast Explorer private tours.