Caledonian Canal, Corpach

The Caledonian Canal slices through Corpach like a watery motorway, and standing at the locks here feels oddly industrial and peaceful at once. Thomas Telford engineered this 60-mile waterway back in 1822 to connect the North Sea with the Atlantic, and watching narrowboats climb through the Corpach Locks - eight of them stacked like a water staircase - never gets old. The whole operation takes about half an hour per boat, which gives you time to actually absorb what's happening rather than just snap a photo and move on.

It's genuinely free to watch, and the towpath alongside is proper accessible. You'll see everything from small leisure cruisers to serious expedition yachts queuing up, sometimes three or four deep. The lockkeeper's cottage sits nearby, and there's something very British about the whole affair - the orderliness of it, the patience required. Kids find it absorbing for a solid hour, maybe more if you time it right and catch a few vessels coming through. On a calm day the reflections in the upper basin are lovely, and Fort William sits close enough that you could easily combine this with a trip up Ben Nevis or a wander round the town itself.

Timing matters. Early morning is quieter, but afternoon brings more boat traffic. Summer weekends get rammed. If you're staying at Ben Nevis Holiday Park or Linnhe Lochside - both within walking distance - it's the sort of thing you'd pop over to rather than make a special journey for. Glen Nevis Caravan & Camping Park is barely three miles away, so it works as part of a broader Highland itinerary rather than a standalone destination.