Well where do i start - we packed camp and were on the water by 9am with most well rested... (some were very cold during the night... Me personally I just had cold toes as my hat was to wet to put on the end of my sleeping bag)
We paddled to the top of Loch Lochy which was about 8k from our camp and then had the first of many portages of the day. After that portage around the lock at Laggan we found a floating Inn called the eagle and opted for a quick drink and a snack for lunch - well it wasn't quick and the customer service was somewhat lacking... The portage it self can be made shorter if the moorings for the pleasure craft are free but only by 100m or so)
After that we had a 2.5k paddle to the bottom of Loch Oich and the highest point on our trip - the swing bridge at that point is 33m above sea level... At least all the portages will be down hill now...
On to Loch Oich a lovely little loch that seemed to pass by very quickly and at the top of which we would attempt to find a camp for the night. We had the wind at our backs so I explained to Ed how to rig a sail our of his coat and two paddles which worked quite nicely with the canoe almost surfing along the wave tops...
Out of that Loch and on to the Canal again and a portage around a lock... Here we met for the first time a couple of old men from inverness doing the route as well...
We had now done our 20k for the day an were keeping our eyes open for a suitable camp... Having look at the map there appeared to be one just beyond the next lock so we pushed on...
At the next lock it all got a bit busy - a couple of large sail boats arrived with a Swiss Crew who it turned out were on their way to Glasgow.. Here much to everyones amusement we perfected the loaded canoe down the grassy bank launch... It always looks like the bow will go under doing it. We didn't attempt it with people in however - maybe do the seal launch later...
So on to our camp we hoped... When we reached the point of camp from the map there was no easy place to get out so we paddled on and on and on. By this time the wind was really getting up and the weather was only getting worse and so couldn't camp just anywhere we needed some natural shelter too...
On and on we paddled with the choppy waters lapping at the low sides of the canoes - people getting hungry and very tried. We rafted up for a while for snacks and just floated down stream whilst we reviewed our options...
The around the corner was Fort Augustus and it's flight of 4 locks which lead to Loch Ness - a long but down hill portage past 4 locks - a review of the map showed a possible place which was confirmed by a couple of the locals as an option - with our canoes back in the water as it was now almost 9pm and people needed to eat we opted for fish and chips from a pub by the locks and eat them sitting by the canal side.
Having all eaten that to quickly and with the light fading fast we paddle the 0.5k around the southern shore of the loch to a wooded area where our only neighbour was a sewage treatment works... The site was ok on the edge of the shore just in the tree line but beyond that the ground was quite boggy with a little more time we could have looked further east along the southern shore and I am sure we would have found something.
Camp was set a quick "wet" (hot drink) and off to bed..
The following day we have the 23miles of Loch Ness to paddle and the weather doesn't look that lovely
