Situated on the Caledonian Canal, Neptune's Staircase consists of eight locks at slightly different levels, overcoming a total height difference of 64 feet. The staircase was designed by renowned civil engineer Thomas Telford, in a bid to make inland navigation feasible in northern Scotland - and for the most part this was successful.
The 22-ton lock gates were originally hand-powered, but are now operated by hydraulics. It now takes approximately one-and-a-half hours to pass from one end of the staircase to the other. The journey through the staircase on our Scottish cruise is a fascinating sight to see, as the water allows the barges to overcomes gravity and nature to climb the hillside.
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