Fort Augustus Locks – Caledonian Canal

Impressive lock system at the entrance of the canal.

Who, if you please, is digging a canal in the middle of the Highlands? One might think, and yet it seems quite consistent. Because the Great Glen ("Big Valley") runs straight through a tectonic fault that was also worked on by a glacier. This left behind a steep trough valley. And although we're in the mountains, the culmination of the canal is only 42m. This lends itself well to a canal that should eliminate the difficult voyage around the outside, and through the Pentland Firth at that.
The canal was constructed from 1803 to 1822 under the direction of Scottish engineer Thomas Telford. Only about a third of the canal's total length had to be dug, otherwise natural bodies of water, the lochs, were used. One of the lakes will still play a role here!
The differences in height are equalized by a total of 29 locks, some individually, some in lock staircases, the longest of which, Neptune's Staircase, consists of 8 individual locks and is the longest lock system in Great Britain.