As anyone who has read my two posts on the Nevis Range may have guessed, Fort William – and the surrounding Lochaber – is one of my favourite places in Scotland. One of my favourite features of Lochaber is the way in which the mountains and hills sweep down right to the lochs and sea, creating spectacular vistas that are so typical of the Highlands. It is such a different feel from the east coast, where we have cliffs and beaches, and of course the east coast of the US which tends to be much flatter, except perhaps up in the far north of Maine.
One of the best ways to truly appreciate and experience the views is, as we discovered, to explore the loch with Cruise Loch Linnhe, a tour company that runs a series of cruises from Fort William. They offer evening cruises and even private charters, but also the cruise I have now taken twice: the ‘seal’ cruise, which covers a good portion of the loch and allows one to see not just seals but heron, swans, dolphins, and many other kinds of wildlife.
The first time I took the cruise was with Mum in May of last year, and we were not at all lucky when it came to the weather – it poured rain almost the entire time we were on the boat, and we saw only one seal, its head just poking out of the water. Below are the two pictures from May – the night before the cruise, with the rain clouds closing in, and the only seal we saw.
Rain notwithstanding, it was a very nice cruise; the boat is comfortable with plenty of amenities including hot tea and coffee, snacks, and even a whisky or two if you’re interested. I stood just outside the door for a while and tried to get some pictures of the view, but the ones later in the year were so much better I have not bothered to post them here. As I experienced later on, the skippers on these cruises are very experienced and offer a running commentary of information about the area surrounding the loch as well as the wildlife, so it is a good lesson in all things Scottish! My father has always had an interest in boats, and so I determinedly re-booked for later in the summer when he was visiting, and on the second attempt I was rewarded with a much clearer trip.
The boat leaves from just next to the Crannog Restaurant, not far from the large car park in Fort William. I insisted upon being first in the queue – or almost first – to board so that I could get the seat I wanted, right at the back of the boat where no one could block my view.
At first, the route of the cruise takes you right away from the quay, roughly north towards Caol, a village almost immediately outside Fort William. Right away you are rewarded with views back towards the town and Ben Nevis, if it is clear; from there the cruise passes Caol and the locks at the start of the Caledonian Canal, as well as the Old Boat of Caol, a shipwrecked fishing boat.
The cruise goes north and west a bit to pass the timber yards which I learned are some of the largest in Europe; it was also on this cruise that I learned that most of the timber grown in Scotland is not high enough quality to use for building, because it grows too fast. So, it is turned into biomass pellets, while the good building timber is shipped in from Scandinavia, where the cold forces the trees to grow more slowly.
Gradually the boat circles back towards the wider loch, passing some lovely homes on one side, and bird-covered small islands on the other – the clouds started to clear slightly so I was able to see the start of Glen Nevis.
From here, the cruise hugs the west side of the loch across from Fort William, where there is a series of small farms – including one with alpaca – as well as salmon and mussel fisheries. Side note, it was during a trip to Fort William that I had some of the best mussels of my life, and this is from a New England girl!
I became fascinated by the way the hills are split by crevices in which streams must flow downhill, and eventually meet the loch – very dramatic. We also learned a great deal about the ecological problems with salmon farming, and the impact it was having on the loch (this article linked here is very staunchly anti-farms, but then after hearing the skipper talk, so was I).
As we headed south, the boat moved more into the middle of the loch, allowing for stunning views westward along the glens and mountains that are sparsely-populated and quite difficult to access without the use of the Corran ferry.
Then we circled around towards the other side of the loch, passing a small pod of dolphins – this was the only clear picture I got – and heading towards the tidal rock where the seals rest – the pièce de résistance.
We were given very strict and serious instruction about how to behave. Clearly incredibly experienced, the skipper lectured us on remaining quiet and still, as if we scared a young seal pup it might get lost and end up separated from its mother permanently. With the horror of potentially causing young seals to suffer fresh in our minds, the whole boat full of people prepared with cameras at the ready and children sufficiently chastised. The skipper turned the motor down and allowed the current to push us closer and closer, circling the seal rock.
Even if I had been allowed to speak I do not think I could have – it was positively breath-taking to be so close and see the faces of the animals as they watched us pass by. I took more than 200 photos but here are the best – there were smiles, frowns, and general showing off by the amazing array of common and Atlantic grey seals.
The hush that had fallen over the boat remained as the skipper slowly moved us away, back north towards Fort William, and I managed few more spectacular views of the seal rock and the loch behind it.
After this kind of experience, it was a bit of a let-down to return to dry land. But, it made me that much more determined to try the cruise again with Mum the next time she is here, and to go with the other half some time as it really is a spectacular way to see the loch. There are currently plans to go again in a few weeks, and I am looking forward to another exciting trip. Finally, here is the view from the back of the boat as we headed south – Ben Nevis is just topped with cloud on the right:
The Wandering Medievalist 