AllanD

Our walking group walked from Maryhill Locks to Cloberhill Locks this morning and yes the bridge does not appear to have been opened for a while. I took note of the 3 mooring pontoons just west of lock 27 with water point and small toilet /shower block and elsan disposal but no sign of electrical connection. Hardly residential.

With just the two of you on your first boating holiday it would be helpful if you can get into a routine for handling locks and any bridges. If you have a canal near where you live, why not spend some time watching how others do it. It could save you time and stress during your own holiday.

Just a question; where do our boating fraternity at Kirkintilloch go for fuel? They can't get to Auchinstarry and they can't get to Bowling and I do not know of any other canalside facility.

I seem to recall that SC intended to provide residential moorings near Lock 27 with possible visitor moorings as a bonus but this does appear to be coming to fruition. These would have greatly increased the activity on the canal and the surrounding area of North West Glasgow.

Is there any further information or update on any progress on this serious situation. Just wanted to bring the matter back into our consciousness.

The other thing I noticed was the lack of possible visitor moorings between the locks; there were only lock landings and one of them was designed to prevent anyone getting on or off it. Scottish Canals seem to want boaters to only cruise the canal and not holiday on it and around it.

Walked from Maryhill Locks down to Cloberhill Locks on Thursday and there was ice/slushy snow on some stretches. The canal looked "abandoned" in some places with the pub/restaurant at Lock 27 closed up. When you walk the canal you really notice the low level of development being undertaken.

One of the difficulties arising from all of the hire boats heading for Edinburgh would be the limited number of suitable visitor moorings along the Union Canal.

I think I read somewhere that SC would arrange to briefly open the two bridges to allow those "trapped" between them to move to other moorings. I also recall a mention of reduced mooring charges for those directly affected. Can anyone else confirm any such arrangements being made.

Chris Williams.

This morning my thoughts turn to those of the boating community at Auchinstarry, those who moor there and the businesses who service them. The Boathouse pub/restaurant is a good stopover and I worry that if the proposed closure is lasting then it would impact them considerably. Also the availability of fuel for those at Kirkintilloch area.

With this proposal concerning Bonnybridge and Twechar bridges you will still be able to make it from the Kelpies up along to Edinburgh via the Falkirk Wheel.

One of major issues for me was the inability for spontaneous cruising. Having always to plan ahead, arrange transit through the Falkirk Wheel, mooring overnight in the basin, arranging transit through the locks and bridges and having to cruise almost in convoy to accommodate the manner in which SC operate. It is a far cry from the situation on other areas which just happen to be those which seem to be flourishing with ongoing development.

Totally agree, a fantastic opportunity could be lost forever. Our children and children's children may get to read about the Lowland Canals in history books but then again maybe not.

Thanks for the heads up regarding identical emails.

Thanks for this Haggis, is there room for one more???

So glad to hear and see such positivity starting to develop. A unified, identical email to MSP's is a great idea, especially if their constituency encompasses the canals. The desire to create regeneration across the central belt should be something to be embraced by all in government both local and national.

A radical shift of focus is exactly what is needed to maintain the Lowland Canals. The situation if the 2 bridges being discussed remain closed indefinitely will mean that some larger /heavier boats currently on the eastern side of them would have a real issue with limited lift out facilities available.

As someone who has left the water 5 months ago I have had firsthand experience of SC's financial haphazard handling of my account during my time afloat. Some spurious bills sent with little or no details, some inaccurate and one obviously ridiculous. The time and effort required to rectify these could be lengthy and very frustrating. If this was the tip of the iceberg I can only imagine the extent of the full problem.

Being "powerless" does not mean that we cannot express sympathy, support or concerns for those directly or indirectly affected by what is happening. We are after all have mutual interest in boating.

This rather serious topic has been hijacked for the amusement of some. How sad that genuine concerns of the possible demise of any inland waterway should be trivialised in such a way.

As I said previously, I tried to support canalside business when I could, Bridge 49 being one. Only managed once by boat before all of the residential moorings had been taken. The other more frequent stop was the Park Farm Bistro on the eastern side of Linlithgow as it does have a pontoon mooring albeit just as you exit a bridge. The limited availability of visitor moorings is one of the saddest aspects of cruising the Union Canal as it almost impossible to moor alongside any part of the towpath because of lack of weed cutting and other maintenance.

It was always my hope that the reopening of the Forth Clyde and Union Canals would bring a regeneration to the whole length. When boating I would try to support local enterprise businesses along the Canals to encourage further development. This uncertainty is extremely worrying for the future. The already low level of facilities available will struggle if this is confirmed as permanent.

This could sound the death of the boat hire business on the Lowland Canals if the closure is truly indefinite. Why would anyone plan a boating holiday for 2018 with this uncertainty looming and a severe restriction of possible cruising area given the low numbers of visitor moorings between Falkirk and Edinburgh.

Kelvin's at Grangemouth have a weight limit on what size of boat they can lift. This may affect your choice out of what your looking for.