 |
| Car & Train bridge open for the boats |
There is a natural canal across Scotland, running through
the Lochs on a natural fault line here, called the Caledonian Fault. Between
the fault line and the glacier that scoured it out years (MANY years) ago,
there is a natural canal connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the English Channel
in the North Sea, avoiding the long trip around the western portion of
Scotland. We stopped by one of the locks that ships travel through on their
voyage.
 |
| Budding Sailors! |
The voyage down the locks takes about 1.5 hours to finish.
The boats enter at the top, wait for the water to equalize, then they’re hand
walked through to the next section. This particular lock had both a train and a
car bridge to open. When the car bridge wouldn’t be a very big deal to just
open, the train bridge had to be carefully timed to avoid any traffic. One of
the ships was coming through with a group of teenagers on it. They were headed
up north on the ship, doing all of the work required to sail a ship, sorta like
a sailing school trip. They seemed to be really enjoying themselves, having fun
but taking the job seriously when something had to be done. Looked like a great
trip!
 |
| Bridge of Oich |
 |
| Bridge of Oich |
Heading out towards Inverness, we came across the Bridge of
Oich, a rather picturesque bridge that once straddled the loch. It was an early
cantilever bridge that proved to be quite strong and has stood the test of time
(built in the 1800’s if I remember correctly).
No comments:
Post a Comment