The Crinan Canal is a navigable canal in

Argyll and Bute Argyll and Bute (; , ) is one of 32 unitary authority, unitary council areas of Scotland, council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod ...

, west of Scotland. It opened in 1801 and connects the village of

Ardrishaig Ardrishaig () is a coastal village on Loch Gilp, at the southern (eastern) entrance to the Crinan Canal in Argyll and Bute in the west of Scotland. It lies immediately to the south of Lochgilphead, with the nearest larger town being Oban. Hi ...

Loch Gilp Loch Gilp () is a small inlet on Loch Fyne, Argyll and Bute, west of Scotland. The loch gives its name to the nearby town of Lochgilphead. The Crinan Canal extends from the loch ''Loch'' ( ) is a word meaning "lake" or "inlet, sea inle ...

with Crinan on the

Sound of Jura The Sound of Jura () is a Sound in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is one of the several Sounds of Scotland. It is to the east of the island of Jura and the west of Knapdale, in the north of the Kintyre Peninsula, of the Scottish mainland. ...

, providing a navigable route between the

Firth of Clyde The Firth of Clyde, is the estuary of the River Clyde, on the west coast of Scotland. The Firth has some of the deepest coastal waters of the British Isles. The Firth is sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre, Kintyre Peninsula. The ...

and the

Inner Hebrides The Inner Hebrides ( ; ) is an archipelago off the west coast of mainland Scotland, to the south east of the Outer Hebrides. Together these two island chains form the Hebrides, which experience a mild oceanic climate. The Inner Hebrides compri ...

, without the need for a long diversion around the

Kintyre Peninsula Kintyre (, ) is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The peninsula stretches about , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south to East and West Loch Tarbert in the north. The region immediately north of Kintyre is ...

, and in particular the exposed Mull of Kintyre. Today the canal is operated by Scottish Canals and is a popular route for leisure craft, used by nearly 2,000 boats annually. The towpath is part of National Cycle Route 78. The canal is a two-part

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

. Loch a' Bharain, which serves as a feeder reservoir for the canal, is also a scheduled monument.

History

The canal was built to provide a shortcut for commercial sailing and fishing vessels and later Clyde puffers to travel between the industrialised region around

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

to the West Highland villages and islands. Authorised by the ( 33 Geo. 3. c. 104), it was designed by civil engineer John Rennie and work started in 1794, but was not completed until 1801, two years later than planned. The canal's construction was beset with problems including finance and poor weather. Landowners demanded high prices for their land and navvies were reluctant to leave jobs in more accessible parts of England and Scotland. The construction cost £127,000 (). On Saturday 8 August 1801, the ''Carlisle Journal'' reported that:

On Monday, a boat laden with fish, arrived at the Broomielaw, Glasgow, from one of the Western Isles, being the first vessel that has passed through the Crinan Canal

The canal bank near Lochgilphead failed in 1805 and the canal's course was diverted to avoid the marshy ground. The canal's reservoirs were finished in 1809 but two years later a storm caused one to burst releasing its water and sending boulders and mud along the canal in both directions wrecking locks, the canal banks and the nearby roads. Repairs cost £8,000 (). The canal company, headed by the Duke of Argyll, had to seek help from the government, who asked

Thomas Telford Thomas Telford (9 August 1757 – 2 September 1834) was a Scottish civil engineer. After establishing himself as an engineer of road and canal projects in Shropshire, he designed numerous infrastructure projects in his native Scotland, as well ...

to assess the problems. He suggested improvements to the locks, and some parts of the canal were redesigned including the swing bridges which were replaced in

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...

in 1816. The government paid for the work but the canal company lost control and it was handed to the Caledonian Canal Commissioners. Passage of Her Majesty on the Crinan Canal

Passage of Her Majesty on the Crinan Canal

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

travelled along the canal to Crinan during a holiday in the Scottish Highlands in 1847. She was greeted at Ardrishaig and her boat was towed by four horses, two of which were ridden by postilions in royal

livery A livery is an identifying design, such as a uniform, ornament, symbol, or insignia that designates ownership or affiliation, often found on an individual or vehicle. Livery often includes elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or ...

. At Crinan she boarded the royal yacht ''Victoria and Albert''. Her journey made the canal a tourist attraction and gave the canal an added purpose. Passenger steamer companies operating out of Glasgow advertised the canal as the "Royal route" and by 1857 more than 44,000 passengers passed through Ardrishaig each year and were met by steamers to Oban at Crinan. A disaster occurred on 2 February 1859 when the Camloch reservoir supplying the canal burst, and the ensuing torrent of water and rock damaged the banks of the canal and seven of the gates forming the locks which were swept into the valley below. The canal was closed for through navigation until 1 May 1860 although the wider repairs to paths and road had not been completed. Although Parliament had authorised £12,000 () for repairs the company reported that the expenditure had exceeded the budget by around £3,500 () as the damage included large boulders of rock which were found in the bed of the canal. In 1866 a steam-powered passenger boat ''Linnet'' replaced horse-drawn boats for tourists. ''Linnet'' remained in service until 1929. Between 1930 and 1932, new sea locks were built at either end, making the canal accessible at any state of tide. The swing bridge at Ardrishaig was installed at this time. The canal became the responsibility of British Waterways in 1962. It closed for nine-week period in October 1987 to allow some refurbishment. On 2 July 2012 the British Waterways functions in Scotland became Scottish Canals.

Features

The Crinan Canal has 15 locks and is crossed by seven bridges: six

swing bridge A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that can be rotated horizontally around a vertical axis. It has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravit ...

s and a retractable bridge. Stone for the 15 locks was brought from Mull, the

Isle of Arran The Isle of Arran (; ) or simply Arran is an island off the west coast of Scotland. It is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde and the seventh-largest Scottish island, at . Counties of Scotland, Historically part of Buteshire, it is in the ...

and Morvern. From Ardrishaig, three locks raise the canal's east reach to above sea level. The summit reach, between Cairnbaan and Dunardry, is above sea level. The west reach between Dunardry and Crinan is above sea level. The canal is deep, although the declared maximum draught for a vessel is ,Crinan Canal Restrictions: Update 10 October
'The Crinan Canal is now operating as normal... maximum draft is 2.5m fresh water.' 10 October 2018 ''www.scottishcanals.co.uk'', accessed 29 April 2021 and power lines which cross the canal restrict the height limit to . The retractable bridge at Lock 11 replaced the original swing bridge in 1900. It is operated by a rotating handle and a cogged wheel which causes the bridge deck to roll forwards and backwards on rails and comes to rest across the lock chamber. It is no longer is use. The canal has towpaths on both sides from Ardrishaig to Crinan Bridge (no longer) and horses assisted unpowered craft until 1959.

Gallery

File:UK Scotland Ardrishaig Lighthouse.jpg, Ardrishaig lighthouse File:Crinan Canal Basin - geograph.org.uk - 14263.jpg, Ardrishaig basin. File:Dunardry Locks, Crinan Canal - geograph.org.uk - 15399.jpg, Dunardry locks File:Bellanoch Bridge, Crinan Canal - geograph.org.uk - 930207.jpg, Bellanoch Bridge File:Sea lock Crinan - geograph.org.uk - 563876.jpg, The sea lock and Crinan Lighthouse

Popular culture

A song sung by Dan MacPhail in '' The Vital Spark'':

References

Sources

Bibliography

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External links

Scottish Canals: Crinan Canal

Scottish Canals: Crinan Canal Licences and moorings

Photographs of the Crinan Canal

images & map of mile markers seen along the Crinan Canal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crinan Canal Canals in Scotland Buildings and structures in Argyll and Bute Ship canals 1794 establishments in Scotland Canals opened in 1801 Knapdale Scottish Canals Scheduled monuments in Argyll and Bute