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The Dingwall Canal connects the River Peffery with the Cromarty Firth. It is a disused tidal canal, therefore it is recognised as a section of the River Peffery itself. Built by Thomas Telford in the early 1800s, it is the most northerly canal in the UK.
Built to provide better access to Dingwall, which enabled the town to become a port, the canal was not a commercial success after the railways arrived in the late 1800s and was ceased to be used shortly after.
The canal runs from the point where it meets the River Peffery at the Tulloch Street road bridge to the north of Dingwall town centre. It flows east for around a mile, where it enters the Cromarty Firth.
The canal is sandwiched between a foot path on either bank, which run parallel with the canal from the Tulloch Street road bridge at the western end, to a foot bridge at the eastern end. This creates a pleasant circular walk.
About half way along the canal, the railway crosses it, by means of a bridge. On either side of that railway bridge there is a foot crossing on each side taking the canal bank paths over the railway line. It is these foot crossings which this video focuses on.
This is also the point where the railway line divides at Dingwall Junction, with the far north line towards Wick continuing north and the Kyle of Lochalsh line branching off to the west. Dingwall railway station lies to the south of the junction and beyond there the railway continues south towards Inverness.
The foot crossing on the south bank is by far the busier of the two. The underfoot conditions are pretty good and it is a short walk from Dingwall Jubilee Park which is popular with dog walkers. This crossing is also on the same side of the canal as Dingwall town centre, Dingwall caravan site and the Ross County football stadium.
The railway bridge over the canal does not include a foot bridge and this means the nearest crossing point over the canal for pedestrians is about half a mile away in either direction. Unfortunately this creates an issue of railway trespassing in this area, with pedestrians using the railway bridge as a short cut to get across.
The foot crossing on the north side of the canal is a used a lot less than the one on the south side. The under foot conditions in this area are far from ideal. There is also a crossing for vehicles next to this foot crossing, however it doesn't lead to anywhere. It is accessible by railway workers from Tulloch Street and the area beyond it is used to park railway engineering vehicles.
With stunning views of the Cromarty Firth, we see a few trains passing by while filming.
Filmed 20th and 21st November 2020
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