CORPACH

Look at any relief map of Scotland and you will notice one particular geographical feature standing out like a sore thumb. The big gash in the landscape which runs north-east to south-west with the Moray Firth at one end and Loch Linnhe at the other, otherwise known as the Great Glen, is a deep natural depression occupied by several lochs including the notorious Loch Ness. Running through this depression is the Caledonian Canal, which flows into Loch Linnhe at Corpach. The canal was begun in 1805 under Thomas Telford, and its most ingenious piece of engineering is Neptune's Staircase, on the outskirts of Corpach, a series of lochs, each with a drop of eight feet, which were built to overcome the problem of connecting Loch Linnhe to the much higher Loch Lochy. A walk along the shoreline of Loch Linnhe at Corpach offers fantastic views of Ben Nevis, which is a short distance to the south-east. The Snowgoose Mountain Centre is at the start of the Caledonian Canal and the Great Glen Ways, and is an ideal base for anyone wanting to make the most of the area's mountain scenery. Meanwhile, for those who are interested in geology, there is an attraction called The Treasures of The Earth, an exhibition of crystals, gemstones and fossils.



Map of the area.

Ben Nevis from Corpach - geograph.org.uk - 1324605. Photo by C L T Smith, via Wikimedia Commons.