Making way

The fishing boat, Margarita, makes her way through the Caledonian Canal having travelled about 60 miles from Inverness in the northeast of Scotland to near Fort William in the west. The canal was built about 200 years ago by Thomas Telford mainly to provide employment to stop depopulation and mass emigration and to enable boats to journey without the hazards of the long route around the north of Scotland. Nowadays the canal is used not only by commercial traffic but frequently by pleasure craft enjoying the scenic canal which passes though several lochs on its route.

Here the boat has just passed through Neptune's Staircase which is a series of 8 locks and now is passing the bridges which carry the main road and railway to Mallaig. Both swing bridges are visible fully opened while the traffic has to wait for the boat to continue its way to Loch Linnhe. In the background is Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Britain, which had a light covering of snow overnight.