Inverarnan Canal
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The Inverarnan Canal was a short length of canal terminating at Garbal, close to the hamlet of
Inverarnan Inverarnan is a small hamlet in Stirling, Scotland, near the village of Crianlarich and the hamlet of Ardlui, Argyll and Bute. It is the only settlement in the historical county of Perthshire which has a G postcode. The Drovers Inn The Drover ...
, Scotland. This waterway once linked the old coaching inn, now the Drovers Inn, at Inverarnan, on the Allt Arnan Burn (a tributary of the Falloch) to the River Falloch and passengers could continue southward to
Loch Lomond Loch Lomond (; gd, Loch Laomainn - 'Lake of the Elms'Richens, R. J. (1984) ''Elm'', Cambridge University Press.) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of Ce ...
and finally to Balloch. From Inverarnan stagecoaches ran to various destinations in the north of Scotland.


History

The hamlet of
Inverarnan Inverarnan is a small hamlet in Stirling, Scotland, near the village of Crianlarich and the hamlet of Ardlui, Argyll and Bute. It is the only settlement in the historical county of Perthshire which has a G postcode. The Drovers Inn The Drover ...
with its 300-year-old inn lies in the council area of
Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...
,
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
, on the A82 road, 2.5 km north of the hamlet of
Ardlui Ardlui ( gd, Àird Laoigh) is a hamlet in Argyll and Bute, Scottish Highlands. It is located at the head of Loch Lomond. It is on the A82 road between Crianlarich and Glasgow and Ardlui railway station is on the West Highland Line between Glasgow ...
,
Argyll and Bute Argyll and Bute ( sco, Argyll an Buit; gd, Earra-Ghàidheal agus Bòd, ) is one of 32 unitary authority council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod (14 July 2020) ...
at the head of
Loch Lomond Loch Lomond (; gd, Loch Laomainn - 'Lake of the Elms'Richens, R. J. (1984) ''Elm'', Cambridge University Press.) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of Ce ...
(into which the River Falloch flows), and about 10 km SW of
Crianlarich Crianlarich (; gd, A' Chrìon Làraich) is a village in Stirling council area and in the registration county of Perthshire, Scotland, around north-east of the head of Loch Lomond. The village bills itself as "the gateway to the Highlands". Ety ...
. The canal was privately built with the support of steamship owners Mr David Napier and Mr John McMurrickArrochar & Tarbert Heritage Site
/ref> in order to permit steamers to avoid the sometimes shallow water, gravel banks and bends of the River Falloch's course to the head of Loch Lomond and also to allow convenient travel directly to Inverarnan, which was a
stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...
stop and had a drovers' inn which provided refreshments, accommodation, etc.Secret Scotland - Lost Canals
/ref> Ransom states that the canal was dug at the expense of the Marquis of Breadalbane who also improved facilities at the inn and leased the land from Campbell of Glenfalloch.Ransom, p.97 Mails, goods and passengers were transported and stagecoaches ran at first from Inverarnan to
Killin Killin (; (Scottish Gaelic: ''Cill Fhinn'') is a village in Perthshire in the central highlands of Scotland. Situated at the western head of Loch Tay, it is administered by the Stirling Council area. Killin is a historic conservation village an ...
and
Ballachulish The village of Ballachulish ( or , from Scottish Gaelic ) in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland, is centred on former slate quarries. The name Ballachulish (Ballecheles, 1522 – Straits town) was more correctly applied to the area now called No ...
, later also running to
Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...
, Aberfeldy,
Oban Oban ( ; ' in Scottish Gaelic meaning ''The Little Bay'') is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William. During the tourist season, th ...
and
Crieff Crieff (; gd, Craoibh, meaning "tree") is a Scottish market town in Perth and Kinross on the A85 road between Perth and Crianlarich, and the A822 between Greenloaning and Aberfeldy. The A822 joins the A823 to Dunfermline. Crieff has become ...
.


Construction and infrastructure

Construction started in 1842; however due to very wet weather and severe winters with heavy snows, the canal was not completed until 1844, despite being only 530 yards or 485 metres long with no locks.Canmore 123424 The turning basin at New Garabal had a short landing stage and was only around 300 yards or 274 metres south of the inn. A lade or channel from the Allt Arnan Burn is shown supplying the turning basin and the more recent incursion of this burn into the canal area is in this general area. Brick work is mentioned as being in good condition on the embankments, although these are no longer visible (datum 2016). It is not clear whether ships were charged for the use of the canal.


Steamers

The ''Loch Lomond'' was the first steamboat to navigate the River Falloch and the Inverarnan Canal, and in 1844 Inverarnan and the canal were fully advertised and the regular services to the New Garabal pier at Inverarnan were fully established. The steamer ''Water Witch'' is recorded to have used the canal. It was possible at the time to reach Glasgow from Oban in a day by coach, steamer and train. Ransom states that the first company, in which the marquis had shares, to use the canal was the 'New Lochlomond Steam Company' which used the 'Water Witch'. The steamer ran all year round although only weekly during the winter and passengers using the coach services to
Killin Killin (; (Scottish Gaelic: ''Cill Fhinn'') is a village in Perthshire in the central highlands of Scotland. Situated at the western head of Loch Tay, it is administered by the Stirling Council area. Killin is a historic conservation village an ...
and Fort William could claim a special reduced fare.Ransom, p.98 Adverts made great play on the convenience of using the canal.


Decline

The canal water levels were too low at times, and the Garabal basin and entrance from the River Falloch were prone to the accumulation of gravel. Competition between steamer companies had always been a problem, although by 1845 the New Lochlomond Steamboat Company and the Lochlomond Steamboat Company had merged; however the opening in 1870 of the
Callander and Oban Railway The Callander and Oban Railway company was established with the intention of linking the sea port of Oban to the railway network. This involved a long line from Callander through wild and thinly populated terrain, and shortage of money meant that ...
as far as
Killin Killin (; (Scottish Gaelic: ''Cill Fhinn'') is a village in Perthshire in the central highlands of Scotland. Situated at the western head of Loch Tay, it is administered by the Stirling Council area. Killin is a historic conservation village an ...
ended the through services to the north via Loch Lomond, as it was more convenient for passengers to board stagecoaches at Glenoglehead or
Tyndrum Tyndrum (; gd, Taigh an Droma) is a small village in Scotland. Its Gaelic name translates as "the house on the ridge". It lies in Strathfillan, at the southern edge of Rannoch Moor. Location and facilities Tyndrum is a popular tourist village, ...
.Ransom, p.103 It is unclear when steamers finally ceased to travel as far as Inverarnan Harbour basin, as the general term "Head of Loch Lomond" was often used in published timetables.


Remnants

The canal itself remains intact and water filled although overhung by trees. The harbour and turning basin have been filled in with gravel deposits carried in by the Allt Arnan Burn that has broken through into it.


Route

The Inverarnan terminus (NN319182) was a boat turning circle at Garabal, close to the Inverarnan Inn (NN318184), now the Drovers Inn. From the basin the canal followed a near-straight southward course between the twisting course of the Allt Arnan Burn on the western side and the bends of the Falloch to the east. Following dredging the teamers could reach the old Garabal landing via the River Falloch when the water levels were high enough and other conditions such as current and wind speed were appropriate.


Micro history

In 1856 the Inspector of Steam Vessels decreed that an 'on site' dry dock or slip was required for the appropriate maintenance of Loch Lomond's steamers and a start was made the same year on a dry dock at the canal basin on the Inverarnan Canal.Many a Slip ..., p.3 Land at the right price and at a suitable location may have influenced this unlikely choice; however after a month or two's work the plan was scrapped and
Luss Luss (''Lus'', 'herb' in Gaelic) is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, on the west bank of Loch Lomond. The village is within the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. History Historically in the County of Dunbarton, its origina ...
was chosen instead. The canal was the only canal ever built in the historic Breadalbane area. The quarter of a mile long Inchfad Canal was built on the Loch Lomond island of that name in the 19th century to serve the distillery that had been legally established there.Ransom, p.53 In 1880–81 a bridge across the River Falloch near
Ardlui Ardlui ( gd, Àird Laoigh) is a hamlet in Argyll and Bute, Scottish Highlands. It is located at the head of Loch Lomond. It is on the A82 road between Crianlarich and Glasgow and Ardlui railway station is on the West Highland Line between Glasgow ...
was planned and construction started; however a group led by the Earl of Breadalbane and others was able to stop the work on the grounds that it would prevent the Loch Lomond Steamboat Company's vessels from travelling up the Falloch to Inverarnan, even though regular services had ceased a decade or so before. The unfinished bridge is still recognisable as two large stone pillars.


See also

*
Canals of the United Kingdom The canals of the United Kingdom are a major part of the network of inland waterways in the United Kingdom. They have a varied history, from use for irrigation and transport, through becoming the focus of the Industrial Revolution, to today's ro ...
*
History of the British canal system History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...


References

;Notes ;Sources * Graham, Duncan (2011). ''Sunset on the Clyde''. Neil Wilson Publishing Ltd. * * ''Many a Slip... The Balloch Steam Slipway''. Pub. by The Loch Lomond Steamship Company. * Ransom, P.J.G. (2004). ''Loch Lomond and the Trossachs in History and Legend.'' Edinburgh : John Donald Pub. . * Thomas, David St John (1984). ''A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: Volume 6, Scotland, the Lowlands and the BordersNewton Abbot : David and Charles. .


External links


Video footage of the Old Garabal Landing on the River FallochVideo footage of the Inverarnan CanalVideo footage of the canal and coaching inn
{{DEFAULTSORT:Inverarnan Canal History of West Dunbartonshire Loch Lomond Hamlets in Stirling (council area) Canals opened in 1844 1844 establishments in Scotland