Along the 60 miles between the two locations, The Crossing — British Waterways' contribution to the Year of Homecoming — will be stopping off at canal and loch side to celebrate in music, story and song the culture and the history of the Caledonian Canal and the two centuries since the great engineer Thomas Telford began the ambitious construction project.

"It's something quite different from anything we have done before," Russell Thomson, British Waterways Highlands canals manager, stated.

"There have been other flotilla type events, such as the Sail Caledonia Scottish Raid, but this is on a bigger scale. There are going to be a wide variety of shoreside events with storytelling, the Caledonian Ceilidh Trail and a wide variety of other events that will reflect the history and culture of the canal."

On the water, The Crossing will feature an international flotilla of 16 craft reflecting the variety of vessels which have used the canal since it opened in 1822, 19 years after construction began.

While the annual Scottish Raid concentrates on sail and oar powered historic vessels, The Crossing's fleet runs from the Swan, a Shetland fishing smack built in 1900, and Het Leven, a 1912 Dutch trader, to contemporary yachts and cruisers. The older sailing history of the Great Glen will also be represented by the replica Highland galley, the Galley Aileach, with a crew dressed in contemporary clothing.

"What we are going for is a flotilla that is truly representative of the vessels which used the canal in the past and use it now," Thomson explained, adding that this included the 46 foot Able 2 Sail, which has been adapted for young people and adults with disabilities, reflecting the range of people who make use of the canal.

After being seen off by Big Rory, the nine-foot tall bagpipe player, at Neptune's Staircase, the flotilla will stop off at Fort Augustus on Thursday, with traditional storytelling, street theatre featuring among others Big Rory and The Telfords, the be-whiskered twin great-grandsons of Thomas, and music from the Caledonian Canal Ceilidh Trail.

Back on the water, there will be free Canadian canoe sessions, while on land there will be two fringe events, a classic whisky tasting at The Lovat Arms and a ceilidh at the village hall.

Next stop for the flotilla will be Urquhart Castle from noon to 2pm on Friday, with the Caledonian Canal Ceilidh Trail again performing, before the event climaxes with the fun day at Muirtown Basin from noon to 4pm on Saturday. This will be similar to the Splash event held at Muirtown as part of the Highland Year of Culture — though hopefully without the downpour which more than made the day live up to its name.

Stars of The Crossing's historic flotilla, which will sail up the Caledonian Canal next week.

"A big event for Splash was the seaplane taking off and landing. People turned up for that in spite of the weather and we will be having that again," Thomson said.

For those who prefer older modes of transport, there is also a chance to see the impressive tall ship, The Royalist, and free taster sailing sessions from Inverness Sea Scouts, Seagull Trust Cruises and the Royal Yachting Association Scotland's Sailing in the City initiative.

A less conventional way of getting on the canal is provided with a chance to try out British Waterways Scotland's Waterwalkerz inflatable spheres.

The day can also be enjoyed without any risk of getting wet with a local produce market and chef demonstrations, The Telford Twins, Caledonian Canal Ceilidh Trail, Gutty Slippers and storytelling. The event finishes with the Midsummer Ceilidh in The Crossing Marquee at Muirtown from 7.30pm, headlined by The Jimi Shandrix Experience.

Responses from customers, with half of visitors coming from outside the UK, showed that they wanted to experience the culture of the Highlands. The Crossing will provide another incentive to visit the canal or something to enjoy for those already planning to visit, Thomson said.

"Certainly the people we have spoken to are really looking forward to The Crossing, but it's not just something we are delivering for tourists. We hope that local people will come along and see what's going on," Thomson said.

"It is about tourism. It is reflective of the Year of Homecoming, but we very much want local people to get down to the waterway. Either they do already, in which case they will see something different, or we can entice them down and they will see what they have been missing."

Full details of the event can be found on its website, www.thecrossing2009.com

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