The Crinan Canal is a handy short cut from the Firth of Lorn and the Inner Hebrides to the Firth of Clyde and the Isle of Arran, saving over 80 miles and a potentially lumpy trip around the Mull of Kintyre. But to be honest, if you haven’t taken a boat through a canal, it is a wonderful opportunity to experience motoring way above sea level and messing around in the locks and swing bridges.
The Crinan Canal was built in the late 18th century when there was craze for building canals in these islands, as an efficient way of transporting goods, before the rail network took over. Now its sole purpose is recreation. It is about 9 miles long and has a series of 15 locks and a number of swing bridges. I last passed this way 35 years ago and back then, apart from the locks from the sea and the swing bridges, you and your crew were responsible for opening and closing all the other lock gates and sluices. This year there is a severe shortage of water, so they are much more careful about locking in and out around high water and making sure you go through in groups of at least 2 boats to save water. As a result, there are lock keepers on all the locks, but we were responsible for securing our lines and watching the fenders etc.
We were joined by Claire’s sister Sue and her partner. Claire and Sue last went through the canal in the 1970s when they had plenty of fun and drama with a dodgy engine on the wooden ketch “Judith”, which was difficult to shift into neutral!?! We didn’t have that challenge, but we were unlucky this year to have an absolute down pour for the first half of the trip, but eventually it dried up and the sun came out. We transited with 2 other boats, one of which was a Rival 34 with only the skipper on board. Everyone mucks in together and with a little patience and plenty of fenders, we all got through unscathed!
Entering the first lock with the walls towering above you and no wriggle room is a little daunting, but we soon got into the swing of it. You need to watch the fenders and control the lines as the water surges into the lock and slowly you rise up until your head and the deck pop up above the sides. Then the lock gates open and you motor out. We spent the first night in the picturesque Crinan Basin, where there is a lock side tea room as well as the Crinan Hotel with excellent sea food over looking the sea, with stunning mountains in the back ground.
Motoring slowly along the canal, 4 knot speed limit, is peaceful and strange when you look out over the rushes at the side of the canal and you can the tide out and the exposed sand and mud about 30 or 40 feet below you!
Locking down is a strange experience too. You motor into the lock and stop looking out over the lock gate at a 20 foot drop to the next level. Once lines are secured, the sluices are opened and the water level slowly drops as you carefully pay out the lines until the lock gates open opens and out you motor.
Strangely we met no west going traffic, so we didn’t have to wait for others to lock in and out. As a result we had a pretty swift passage, entering our first lock from the basin at about 10ish and being spat out to tie up alongside the pontoon in the sea at Ardrishaig at 4pm. Your fee canal covers 4 nights, so you could take more time if it suited.
We spent a peaceful night alongside before heading south to the stunning mountainous Isle of Arran. We had a spectacular sail in a strong westerly with gusts, one of them over 40 knots!! The clue is in the mountains!? We picked up a secure visitors mooring in Lamlash and slept well.
Charlie Chavasse “William Tell”
