Neptune’s Staircase

This amazing feat of engineering comprises of eight locks on the Caledonian Canal. Built by Thomas Telford between 1803 and 1822, it is the longest staircase lock in Britain.

The locks raise the canal by 19m (62ft) over a quarter of a mile of continuous masonry and takes around 90 minutes for a boat to travel up or down the locks. Each lock gate weighs in at 22 tons. The weight means that a team of at least three lock-keepers are needed to keep Neptune's Staircase in operation.

The enormously expensive undertaking was intended to provide work at a time when poverty was rife in the Highlands and many residents were leaving to find work elsewhere.