Hi, this is my first post too - my partner and I are currently living in Linlithgow and also looking to live on the Union canal. I'm a little afraid that Scottish Canals are going to price us out of doing so though.
Have you visited any of the site's yet? It's definitely cheaper to live closer to Glasgow than Edinburgh.
Scottish Canals are having a customer forum which might be worth attending. Good luck! Im sure someone more knoweledgable will give you more help shortly https://www.scottishcanals.co.uk/corporate/customer-hub/customer-forum-stakeholder-meetings-and-minutes/lowland-canals-customer-forums/