The Crinan canal is a canal in the west of Scotland. It takes its name from the village of Crinan which is located at its westerly end.

Nine miles long, it connects Ardrishaig on Loch Fyne with the Sound of Jura , providing a navigable route between the Clyde and the Inner Hebrides, without the need for a long diversion around the Kintyre peninsula, and in particular the exposed Mull of Kintyre. The canal has essentially no height limit, and is a common route today for yachts to travel from the Firth of Clyde to the west coast of Scotland.

It was originally built for commercial Clyde puffers to travel between the industrialised region around Glasgow to the West Highland vilages and islands.

It was designed by civil engineer John Rennie and work started in 1794, but the canal was not completed until 1801 (two years later than planned). Problems, particularly with the locks, meant that some parts of the canal had to be redesigned - a task that fell to Thomas Telford in 1816.

External links

• http://www.scottishcanals.co.uk