Campbeltown - Edinbourgh
Entry Date: 09.05.2026, at 13:00:00 hrs (local)
With SuAn through Crinan Kanal
| PRID: | 13301 |
|---|---|
| LegID: | 369 |
| LegNo: | 111 |
| Latitude: | N056°00.76' |
| Longitude: | W005°24.65' |
| Day#: | 1707 |
| Log (Leg): | 59 nm |
| Log (Total): | 87598 nm |
Stretching for around 14 kilometres, the Crinan Canal links Ardrishaig on Loch Gilp with Crinan on the Sound of Jura, creating a sheltered shortcut between the Firth of Clyde and Scotland’s west coast. Completed in 1801, the canal features 15 locks and seven movable bridges. Its highest point lies about 30 metres above sea level.
Originally, navigation through the canal depended heavily on the tides. However, the construction of new sea locks at both ends in the 1930s made passage possible regardless of tidal conditions, further increasing the canal’s importance.
Today, the Crinan Canal is a popular route for leisure and tourist boats with maximum dimensions of 26.8 metres in length, 6.1 metres in beam, and a draught of up to 2.0 metres.
Apart from the sea locks, most of the locks are still operated manually. Fortunately, we do not have to manage them on our own: lock keepers take our lines and open and close the gates for us. To conserve water supplied from the surrounding hills, two boats are usually passed through the locks together.
Although relatively short, the canal is exceptionally scenic and offers several places where boats can moor overnight. Our licence allows us to stay for up to four nights, giving us the opportunity to stop at different locations and explore the surrounding area on foot.
If you would like to learn more about the history of the canal and its early significance, have a look at our logbook entry from 8 August 2025, when we explored the canal’s towpath by bicycle.
More picture will follow soon
