The Caledonian Canal connects the Scottish east coast at
Inverness with the west coast at Corpach near Fort William in
Scotland.
The
canal runs some 60 miles from northeast to southwest and reaches
106 feet above sea level. Only one third of the entire length is
man-made, the rest being formed by Loch Dochfour, Loch Ness,
Loch Oich, and Loch Lochy. These lochs are located in the Great
Glen, on a geological fault in the Earth's crust. There are 29
locks (including eight at Neptune's Staircase – shown above),
four aqueducts and 10 bridges in the course of the canal.
The canal was constructed in the early nineteenth century by
Scottish engineer Thomas Telford.
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