Scottish canals - Glasgow or Bowling

[cornishdave]

Hi all,

As per the title, we're going for a week on the Forth & Clyde and Union canals, looking to visit both ends. I think Edinburgh basin is probably ok, but unsure about the other end for an overnight stop - would you suggest Glasgow or Bowling for a secure/peaceful stay?

 

Many thanks

Dave

[PeterScott]

21 minutes ago, cornishdave said:

... would you suggest Glasgow or Bowling for a secure/peaceful stay?

Stockingfield Junction to Bowling Basin  9¼ miles,19 locks

Stockingfield Junction to Spiers Wharf. 2¼ miles 0 locks

 

Both are excellent places to visit and brilliant overnight stays. The timings are quite different, from Stockingfield Junction where the routes diverge.

 

Remember that Scottish Canals arrange accompanying crew to do the locks, all of which have fierce paddles: they will assume you have a full day in each direction from Stockingfield to Bowling. Dalmuir Drop lock can take about a hour ...

 

Edited April 11, 2022 by PeterScott
extra pic

[haggis]

I agree with what Peter has said but I would also  recommend a visit to the kelpies. There are 15 locks down from Falkirk which will be worked by volunteers and if you go down, plan on  down one day and back up the next. They are lit up at night which makes them even more magical. If you don't have time to visit the kelpies by boat, why not drive down ?

 

Haggis . Who just happens to have a boat called Kelpie ! 

Edited April 11, 2022 by haggis

[cornishdave]

8 minutes ago, haggis said:

I agree with what Peter has said but I would also  recommend a visit to the kelpies. There are 15 locks down from Falkirk which will be worked by volunteers and if you go down, plan on  down one day and back up the next. They are lit up at night which makes them even more magical. If you don't have time to visit the kelpies by boat, why not drive down ?

 

Haggis . Who just happens to have a boat called Kelpie ! 

Yep, we're certainly not going to travel up there and miss the Kelpies. Plan at the moment is to drive down to see them rather than take a day out of the trip to boat there. That may mean we only see them in daylight though, so having a think about that

[cornishdave]

Thanks both, much appreciated.

Right, had a bit of a play with canal plan, this is first draft - does this look about right/feasible given lock/bridge opening times etc? (Pick up at the wheel.)

 

(Part) Day 1 - Linlithgow

Day 2 - Edinburgh Quay

Day 3 - bridge 49 cafe (midday start as wander through city in morning)

Day 4 - Kelpies (sea lock basin?) (9am start to make sure we've got time to get through the locks)

Day 5 - just after Bonnybridge lift bridge

Day 6 - Spiers Wharf

Day 7 - just before Bonnybridge lift bridge

Final morning back to the wheel/base

 

Cheers

Dave

[AllanD]

Others with more experience may be better placed to give you better advice, but I think your plans for cruising the Union Canal are possibly a bit ambitious. The Union is relatively shallow are narrow in places and we found that our journies were slower than we anticipated. 

The journey down the Wheel, onto the Forth and Clyde and then down to the Kelpies will all be under the control of Scottish Canals regarding the operation of the locks. 

I hope goes well for your holiday and that you enjoy the experience. 

[PeterScott]

We had one-week hireboat trips from Falkirk in 2005 (some pics here) and then in 2017 (some pics here) , the latter at the nadir of ScottishCanals' enthusiasm for navigation on its Lowland waterways. Our 2017 trip was closer to the proposed itinerary, and we covered all these bits except for turning short of Edinburgh. The Lowland Canals Association offers to answer questions at info@lowlandcanalsassociation.org about the latest state-of-play, for examle wheter it is yet possible to navigate the Speaker-Martin lock and the section beyond Spiers Wharf up to the watersports centre.. Have a good trip 🙂

 

 

"(Part) Day 1 - [Falkirk, ascend the Wheel, stop at] Linlithgow" All the hireboats from all the companies (a dozen or more boats?) might be in the queue for the Wheel. Both the Wheel and the locks are operated by SC.  In 2005 we were in the lock below the Wheel by 3pm, completed the Wheel by 3.45pm staircase at the top by 4.15pm and moored at 6.15pm. We set off at 6.30am and arrived at Linlithgow at 9.30am. Total = 6hrs15m.

Day 2 [Linlithgow] - Edinburgh Quay 

Continuing our 2005 trip: Linlithgow at 9.30am, Edinburgh at 5.30pm = 8hrs

 

 

Day 3 [Edinburgh Quay] - bridge 49 cafe (midday start ...) Continuing our 2005  trip: Edinburgh 8.15am Linlithgow at 4.45pm, paused there until 7.45pm, then moored near Avon Aqueduct  at 10pm (a few minutes from Bridge49) = 10hrs45m

 

 

 

 

Day 4 - [bridge 49 cafe -] Kelpies (sea lock basin?)

Continuing our 2005 trip: Avon Aqueduct 7am, descending the Wheel at 10.30am,  and completing the junction lock at 11am. From then take the timings from our 2017 trip, which completed the Wheel and junction lock at 10.45am (on the Thursday), and from there we were at the Kelpie moorings at 3.45pm. This included negotiations to share the locks with another hireboat which wanted to descend them the same afternoon. Total = 9hrs.

 

SC do not take boats through the lock between the Kelpies, so not through the QueenElizabeth section to the new sea lock. There would be a road bridge to operate and there is no winding point above the sea lock. As a completist (if it's there I want to navigate it), this was a disappointment.

 

One of the Kelpies has been polished recently.

 

Day 5 [Kelpies] - just after Bonnybridge lift bridge. Continuing our 2017 trip, stared at 9.30am and moored at the top of the locks at 1pm. We returned to the moorings at the bottom of the Wheel 8.30am to 8.45am the next morning. Earlier that trip we left the moorings at 2.30pm and moored before Bonnybridge at 3pm. There were extra opening restrictions that year. Total = 4hrs15m

 

Picture is one of the lock volunteers.

Day 6 [Bonnybridge lift bridge] - Spiers Wharf  Continuing our 2017 trip. Started at 9am and moored at Spiers Wharf at 2.15pm = 5h15m

 

Day 7 [Spiers Wharf] - just before Bonnybridge lift bridge

Continuing our 2017 trip. Started at 8.30am, and through Bonnybridge at 3.30pm = 7hrs (we waited at Hillhead bridge for SC for 75mins)

 

[Day8] Final morning back to the wheel/base. 

Continuing our 2017 trip: 3.30pm to 4pm =30m

[cornishdave]

That is incredibly helpful, thank you so much for that.

It looks as if the timings I got out of CanalPlan are optimistic to say the least, will have to have a re-think...

 

Thanks again

Dave

[AllanD]

Depending on when you intend to holiday, the Union Canal has cruising time restrictions during our school terms between Slateford and Harrison Park due to rowing club activities. 

If you download the Skippers guide from the Scottish Canals website, this will give further information.