blackrose Posted December 14, 2021 Report Share Posted December 14, 2021 Does anyone here know anything about it? I was up in Scotland recently and stumbled across it. I assume it must be brackish water, or is it all sea water? What's to stop someone craning their narrowboat in there? I know it's less than 10 miles long but just wondered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan de Enfield Posted December 14, 2021 Report Share Posted December 14, 2021 (edited) 14 minutes ago, blackrose said: Does anyone here know anything about it? I was up in Scotland recently and stumbled across it. I assume it must be brackish water, or is it all sea water? What's to stop someone craning their narrowboat in there? I know it's less than 10 miles long but just wondered. It is a well used 'short-cut' that saves many miles of cruising all the way down the Mull of Kintyre and back up the other side. The visitors licence (max 4 nights) for one way is £13 (£23 for out and return) Boating on the Crinan Canal | Scottish Canals Edited December 14, 2021 by Alan de Enfield Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackrose Posted December 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2021 So no liveaboard CCers then? 🤣 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magpie patrick Posted December 14, 2021 Report Share Posted December 14, 2021 38 minutes ago, blackrose said: Does anyone here know anything about it? I was up in Scotland recently and stumbled across it. I assume it must be brackish water, or is it all sea water? As far as I'm aware it's fresh water, which falls from the sky in the required amounts. The canal even has a "water waster" which automatically discharges water when there is too much of it - what the advantage is over a conventional weir I'm not sure. It's one if very few canals in the British Isles that I've never set eyes on 👀 perhaps a new year resolution could be to remedy that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Davis Posted December 14, 2021 Report Share Posted December 14, 2021 We walked part of it the year before last and there seemed to be several streams entering it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackrose Posted December 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2021 (edited) Must be brackish then. Such a short canal which opens out to the sea/salt water loch can't only be fresh water. Edited December 14, 2021 by blackrose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waterway2go Posted December 14, 2021 Report Share Posted December 14, 2021 2 hours ago, blackrose said: Does anyone here know anything about it? I was up in Scotland recently and stumbled across it. I assume it must be brackish water, or is it all sea water? What's to stop someone craning their narrowboat in there? I know it's less than 10 miles long but just wondered. It is entirely filled with good clean fresh water. Well, it is most of the time as the Crinan Canal has a fairly limited water supply and a very short summit pound. and was partly closed for a while this year due to lack of water. The biggest problem is the long embankment past Bellanoch at the western end of the canal, which has leaked constantly for many years. The man currently in charge recently told me that when he first joined BWB he was sent to Crinan for a long cold winter (as every young graduate Civil Engineer has been ever since) to find a solution to the leaky embankment. He was convinced he knew what to do: but it didn't work, and no-one yet has the answer. A back-pumping system was installed a few years ago to lift sea water up passed Crinan Sea Lock and the one above (lock14) so your assumption of brackish water would have been right a few years ago in that one area; but not any more as salt water upsets the ecological balance in a SSSI. I've attached a photo showing the embankment with the sea beyond and one of the rocky outcrops on this section. Photo taken from the stern of the steam puffer, VIC32. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haggis Posted December 14, 2021 Report Share Posted December 14, 2021 (edited) It is a beautiful little canal and our Sea Otter narrowboat was the first narrow boat to cruise it. The journey by sea is not suitable for narrowboats and we trailed gamebird up and launched her in the sea at Ardrishaig and cruised round to the sea lock. At Crinan the lock was being used and we went out into the sea for a hundred yards or so before returning back trough the lock. Shortly after our first trip on the Crinan (we have done it twice) Ocean Princess also cruised the Crinan but she came all the way by sea! There were folk living on boats at both ends but they weren't narrow boats, more sea going craft. haggis Edited December 14, 2021 by haggis 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterScott Posted December 15, 2021 Report Share Posted December 15, 2021 14 hours ago, haggis said: It is a beautiful little canal ... From 6 March 2020 Ardrishaig Crinan Canal 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyG Posted December 15, 2021 Report Share Posted December 15, 2021 (edited) 4 hours ago, PeterScott said: From 6 March 2020 Ardrishaig Crinan Canal Vic 32 looking very smart Google or YouTube Vital Spark , originally these little coasters played their trade round the Clyde and the islands, they were coal fired of course, to save oil which was in short supply in the 1930's Robust and reliable, manned by skipper, engineer a deckhand and a boy to supply mugs of tea. They could get in to most natural harbours or dry out on a beach, providing coal to the islands, and every other cargo one could think of. The Vital Spark series on TV (B&W), was pure dead brilliant. Para Handy. Also try The Crinan canal song on YouTube. Edited December 15, 2021 by LadyG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dav and Pen Posted December 15, 2021 Report Share Posted December 15, 2021 We went on Vic 32 with a group from the Ashby Canal Society some years ago. Stayed one night before joining the ship in theCrinan hotel and it turned out to be the Queen mothers birthday so the owner cafe us all pink champagne. It’s a great canal as is the trip on Vic especially if you can charter it as a group. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackrose Posted December 16, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2021 Thanks for the info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryP Posted December 16, 2021 Report Share Posted December 16, 2021 I used to visit there every summer with my lovely Uncle who passed away this year. Very happy memories with him, and cycling it with my kids. Beautiful area! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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