Neptune's Staircase is a set of eight locks, one above the other, which bring the Caledonian Canal down to the level of nearby Loch Linnhe, and the main road at that point is actually a swing bridge; I was able to witness this in action as just after I got there the traffic was stopped and the bridge opened to allow a yacht to sail through. I spent almost an hour wandering round and taking photos from both above and below the locks but I just couldn't get one which showed the 'staircase' properly - I really needed to be somewhere high up and looking down but unless I took drastic action and hired a helicopter I didn't see how it was possible. The canal up above the locks looked lovely though with a towpath running along each side, and if I'd had my bike with me it would have been nice to pootle along with the dogs running beside me - maybe that's a thought for the future.
When I'd got all the photos I could I returned to the van and after giving the dogs a drink - the day was getting hotter by the minute - I left the car park and drove the couple of miles into Fort William itself. As I'd driven through on my way to Arisaig earlier in the week I'd noticed a large car park just off the main road along the lochside so that's where I headed; there were plenty of spaces so I picked one overlooking the water. I was just about to get a ticket from the nearby machine when a couple in a small motorhome gave me theirs - it was paid up till midnight and they were on the point of leaving so they said I may as well use it. The car park fee wouldn't have cost that much anyway for the length of time I wanted so I thought that was really nice of them, and I said I'd return the favour by passing the ticket on to someone else when I'd finished with it.
A look round the town centre came first, which didn't take long as it was mainly just one long partially-pedestrianised street, and as I had the dogs with me I couldn't really go in any of the shops so my wanderings were concentrated along the lochside promenade and the gardens at the far side of the car park. At one point I came across the strange-looking metal sculpture of a man, which was apparently 'Ben Mhor' and was made mainly out of recycled mountain bike parts - very ingeniously done but to be honest I thought it looked a bit out of place stuck there like that.
When I'd got enough photos I returned to the van and gave the dogs another drink; I was ready to leave for the next part of my day but first I had to find someone to pass the car park ticket on to. It wasn't long before a car pulled up nearby and a young woman with a small child got out, she was quite surprised and pleased when I gave her the ticket. After chatting to her for a couple of minutes I got in the van and set off, my first port of call being Morrisons petrol station, then with the tank topped up and the windows wound down I pulled onto the A82 and headed in the direction of Fort Augustus.
