Known as 'Britain's most beautiful shortcut', the Crinal Canal runs from Ardrishaig on Loch Fyne nine miles across the Kintyre peninsula to the west coast of Scotland. Designed by John Rennie after initial survey work by James Watt in 1771, the canal was opened in 1801, with further improvements made by Thomas Telford in the second decade of the nineteenth century.

The canal was originally planned to save commercial ships having to make the long journey from the industrial region around Glasgow round the Mull of Kintyre to reach the west coast and Hebridean islands. By 1854, 33,000 passengers, 22,000 sheep and 2000 cattle had been transported along it. These days the canal is a popular route for leisure craft.

In the book Marian Pallister tells the story of the canal from its origins to the present day, discussing how it was built, who built it, how it changed life in the surrounding areas, and how it has been used.

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• List of Illustrations
• An introduction
• 1. Choosing a site
• 2. An idea has its day
• 3. The drama begins
• 4. The cost of pozzolana and other inconveniences of war
• 5. The want of a nail
• 6. The disasters that had been waiting to happen
• 7. The fruits of incompetence
• 8. Towards a takeover
• 9. Rescue, disaster and rescue again
• 10. New beginnings, old problems
• 11. Not quite full steam ahead
• 12. Famine, feast and flower girls
• 13. Towards the Linnet years
• 14. The Royal Route takes off
• 15. Into the twentieth century and more plans for change
• 16. Sink or swim?
• 17. Very definitely swimming
• A technical epilogue
• Acknowledgements
• Bibliography
• Index
• Plates