Forth and Clyde Canal

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Forth and Clyde Canal

Postby mustardman » Mon May 24, 2004 9:46 am

Impressive or what?? The resurrection of the canal in the last 2 years has been somewhat quiet. Don't you think? What I mean, is that I never hear of when barges will be travelling down it. I normally always go to old kilpatrick via the canal in the suimmer months, which takes me to Loch Lomond. Now up at Maryhill Locks, it demonstrates great engineering with the canal passing over the River Kelvin by a bridge which transports the water. The height between them is scary and you wonder, how did they do that

Would like to see similar views from people and their thoughts on this 'ghost'
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Postby aliferste » Mon May 24, 2004 10:07 am

I live right next to the canal at Anniesland, see barges going up and down a fair wee bit......if you think that the bridge is cool you should check out the Falkirk wheel
http://theriverkelvin.co.uk/blog/index.php?p=75
Now thats pretty good work!!

I wish I had my camera when they drained the canal a few years ago, at one point you could walk along the middle of the canal for a good couple of miles :) Some of the stuff they hauled out was pretty impressive!
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Re: Forth and Clyde Canal

Postby james73 » Mon May 24, 2004 10:13 am

mustardman wrote:Impressive or what?? The resurrection of the canal in the last 2 years has been somewhat quiet. Don't you think? What I mean, is that I never hear of when barges will be travelling down it. I normally always go to old kilpatrick via the canal in the suimmer months, which takes me to Loch Lomond. Now up at Maryhill Locks, it demonstrates great engineering with the canal passing over the River Kelvin by a bridge which transports the water. The height between them is scary and you wonder, how did they do that


The Kelvin Aqueduct. See they Romans...

Image




mustardman wrote:Would like to see similar views from people and their thoughts on this 'ghost'


I like the canal as it offers a great cycle path through the city.



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Postby mustardman » Wed May 26, 2004 11:06 am

its when you look over the aquaduct(think that is the spelling), you can see the old remnants of the railway line
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Postby Cyclo2000 » Thu May 27, 2004 12:36 pm

Having recently moved to Cumbernauld (all together, What's It Called?...)
I find myself almost exactly half way along the Canal geographically. As a keen cyclist I've been using the towpath as a traffic free route for training so...

I usually join the Towpath at Auchinstarry, where there is a large holding Basin. Barges would have been tied up overnight here at one time. I'm told the basin is being rejuvenated and it's true that there is a fair bit of building work going on there, at least sporadically. There is meant to be a hotel going up, too. There is a large-ish carpark nearby at the Auchinstarry Quarries (a popular spot with rock climbers) so it's a convenient place to start exploring the canal by foot or bike for those of you who want to take the car along.

From the starting point then, you can choose to travel East to Falkirk and the wheel, or West to Glasgow and civilisation. (For those of you who think me hard on Falkirk I must say in my defence that I know the town very well having spent a fortnight there one weekend. God bless you Chic Murray!)

Heading West, you will pass under and skirt round Bar Hill, an ancient Roman Fort on the Antonine Wall, the route of which the Canal largely parallels. The path here is excellent and the section between here and Twechar is one of the quietest and most tranquill on the whole canal. As you approach Twechar you will come to a bridge at which, should you want to, you can turn left up the short rise about one hundred yards where you will see a sign for the path up to the top of hill and the Fort proper. If you're on foot or a Mountain bike you might want to make this detour as the view from the top (the highest spot in quite a radius) is well worth the effort. On from Twechar the canal meanders along quite pleasantly to Kirkintilloch but you are more likely to come across other cyclists and walkers on this stretch and a fair number of anglers (most of whom seem to drink as much as they angle) and a few groups of Neds just hanging about. Luckily, the Neds are usually on the other side so they shouldn't bother you much. After about 15 mins cycling, you will pass the remains of one of the inns/stabling blocks that line the canal at intervals. This where the horses that used to draw the boats were changed and presumably, people must have stayed. This house is unusual in that it isn't near a set of locks, the canal here being very level. Near here, there is a traditional narrow boat moored. From Twechar, the bridge at Kirkintilloch comes up in half an hour to 45 mins on a bicycle. Dunno what happens after that as I always turn here to go back!

From the Basin at Auchinstarry heading the other way, towards Falkirk and the East, the path passes several sets of (now working) locks. This path tends to be busier, particularly at the weekends but it is broader along this stretch so a decent speed can usually be kept up. First up lock-wise is Craigmarloch where, if you look up to your left, you'll see a slightly better preserved example of the kind of staging post I spoke of earlier. It's well hidden in vegetation at this time of year and may be hard to get into, but I can assure you that if you make that effort....you'll have wasted your time! It's just four walls and honestly, theres nothing to see but graffity. Next set of locks along are manned so if you're lucky you might see a boat going through. If you head up to your right at this point you'll go to Cumbernauld Airfield. They have a couple of old Soviet jets at the end of runway should you be so enclined. Go to the left and you'll be near Banton more or less, where there's a pub. Next locks are at Castlecary. Good place for lunch (the best on the length of the canal I think) is the Castlecary Hotel, but it isn't signposted. Cross the canal by the old bridge, which comes immediately after you've gone under the A80, and carry on to the road end. Be carefull joining the road as there is very fast traffic joing from the A80 here. Turn left, up the hill to the T-junction then turn right. Follow the road round 500 yards and you'll see the Hotel on the right. Go right round the back to the beer garden where you can leave yer bike safely. Inside, look at the blackboards for todays guest ales. Back the way you came to the canal and the next set of locks are at Underwood, where there is the only working lodge house still along the length of the Canal. It's an Indian Restaurant now, but they do have tables outside where a thirsty chap or chapess might imbibe. If you crossed the canal here and rummelled along towards Falkirk a bit you'd come to the best preserved section of Antonine Wall still in existance. Carry on to Bonnybridge ( which isn't bonny at all and PS citizens, I can't even find a bridge). Again after this I dunno what happens as I usually turn and go back, but safe to say that another half hours wheeling would bring you to the Boat Lift at Falkirk.

As I explore more I'll post the rest...
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Postby duncan » Thu May 27, 2004 2:26 pm

i'm always meaning to cycle it Glasgow - Edinburgh. furthest I've gone is I think just before Kirkintilloch. Realistically, I should probably break it into two trips: Glasgow - Falkirk, then train to Edinburgh. Then take the train to Falkirk another day and cycle to Edinburgh.
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Postby JayKay » Thu May 27, 2004 4:51 pm

Thanks for the canal cycling post. Recently moved to VietNauld myself, and canal cycling is on the "thinks I must do over the summer " list. Auchinstarry is pretty near where I am, so I'm keen to give it a go.
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Postby Pgcc93 » Thu May 27, 2004 5:51 pm

JayKay wrote: Recently moved to VietNauld


::): Classic ::): Is it still Sucky sucky $2...... love you long time GI. :?: ::):
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Postby germistonguy » Thu May 27, 2004 9:30 pm

Pgcc93 wrote:
JayKay wrote: Recently moved to VietNauld


::): Classic ::): Is it still Sucky sucky $2...... love you long time GI. :?: ::):


'scuse my ignorance - why VietNauld??

:?:
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Postby Pgcc93 » Thu May 27, 2004 9:55 pm

germistonguy wrote:
Pgcc93 wrote:
JayKay wrote: Recently moved to VietNauld


::): Classic ::): Is it still Sucky sucky $2...... love you long time GI. :?: ::):

'scuse my ignorance - why VietNauld??

:?:


Well why not :?: , Cumber(Viet)nauld is a complete parody of it's self and the SE Asian continent of Vietnam is it not :?: .

If your still not convinced! Then listen to Paint It Black by the Rolling Stones whilst walking through Abronhill of a Saturday night :wink: you'll soon get the picture. Without mosquito's and Charlie giving you heat ::):


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Slightly updated as I went a bit further along yesterday...

Postby Cyclo2000 » Fri May 28, 2004 8:47 am

Cyclo2000 wrote:Having recently moved to Cumbernauld (all together, What's It Called?...)
I find myself almost exactly half way along the Canal geographically. As a keen cyclist I've been using the towpath as a traffic free route for training so...

I usually join the Towpath at Auchinstarry, where there is a large holding Basin. Barges would have been tied up overnight here at one time. I'm told the basin is being rejuvenated and it's true that there is a fair bit of building work going on there, at least sporadically. There is meant to be a hotel going up, too. There is a large-ish carpark nearby at the Auchinstarry Quarries (a popular spot with rock climbers) so it's a convenient place to start exploring the canal by foot or bike for those of you who want to take the car along.

From the starting point then, you can choose to travel East to Falkirk and the wheel, or West to Glasgow and civilisation. (For those of you who think me hard on Falkirk I must say in my defence that I know the town very well having spent a fortnight there one weekend. God bless you Chic Murray!)

Heading West, you will pass under and skirt round Bar Hill, an ancient Roman Fort on the Antonine Wall, the route of which the Canal largely parallels. The path here is excellent and the section between here and Twechar is one of the quietest and most tranquill on the whole canal. As you approach Twechar you will come to a bridge at which, should you want to, you can turn left up the short rise about one hundred yards where you will see a sign for the path up to the top of hill and the Fort proper. If you're on foot or a Mountain bike you might want to make this detour as the view from the top (the highest spot in quite a radius) is well worth the effort. On from Twechar the canal meanders along quite pleasantly to Kirkintilloch but you are more likely to come across other cyclists and walkers on this stretch and a fair number of anglers (most of whom seem to drink as much as they angle) and a few groups of Neds just hanging about. Luckily, the Neds are usually on the other side so they shouldn't bother you much. After about 15 mins cycling, you will pass the remains of one of the inns/stabling blocks that line the canal at intervals. This where the horses that used to draw the boats were changed and presumably, people must have stayed. This house is unusual in that it isn't near a set of locks, the canal here being very level. Near here, there is a traditional narrow boat moored. From Twechar, the bridge at Kirkintilloch comes up in half an hour to 45 mins on a bicycle. Dunno what happens after that as I always turn here to go back!

From the Basin at Auchinstarry heading the other way, towards Falkirk and the East, the path passes several sets of (now working) locks. This path tends to be busier, particularly at the weekends but it is broader along this stretch so a decent speed can usually be kept up. First up lock-wise is Craigmarloch where, if you look up to your left, you'll see a slightly better preserved example of the kind of staging post I spoke of earlier. It's well hidden in vegetation at this time of year and may be hard to get into, but I can assure you that if you make that effort....you'll have wasted your time! It's just four walls and honestly, theres nothing to see but graffity. Next set of locks along are manned so if you're lucky you might see a boat going through. If you head up to your right at this point you'll go to Cumbernauld Airfield. They have a couple of old Soviet jets at the end of runway should you be so enclined. Go to the left and you'll be near Banton more or less, where there's a pub. Next locks are at Castlecary. Good place for lunch (the best on the length of the canal I think) is the Castlecary Hotel, but it isn't signposted. Cross the canal by the old bridge, which comes immediately after you've gone under the A80, and carry on to the road end. Be carefull joining the road as there is very fast traffic joing from the A80 here. Turn left, up the hill to the T-junction then turn right. Follow the road round 500 yards and you'll see the Hotel on the right. Go right round the back to the beer garden where you can leave yer bike safely. Inside, look at the blackboards for todays guest ales. Back the way you came to the canal. You'll pass a wee white cottage on the other side ofthe canal which last summer was doing ice creams and cups of tea etc. To get to it you'll need to walk over the lock gates. This is the roughest part of the path but also the broadest. Not far along to the next set of locks at Underwood, where there is the only working lodge house still along the length of the Canal. It's an Indian Restaurant now, but they do have tables outside where a thirsty chap or chapess might imbibe. Just before you get to it you'll see apair of quite ornate old gates set at a crazy angle amid the bushes. I think they belong to the large house you can see set well back in the trees. If you crossed the canal at Underwood and rummelled along the road towards Falkirk a bit you'd come to the best preserved section of Antonine Wall still in existance. Carry on to Bonnybridge ( which isn't bonny at all and PS citizens, I can't even find a bridge). There is a nice section of very broad smooth path skirting the edge of the town and some kind soul has planted a bit of the verge with beautifully colourful shrubbery. Again after this I dunno what happens as I usually turn and go back, but safe to say that another half hours wheeling would bring you to the Boat Lift at Falkirk.

As I explore more I'll post the rest...
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Postby Fossil » Tue Jun 01, 2004 9:58 pm

Bum tit tit bum tit tit play yer hairy banjo
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Postby mustardman » Fri Jun 04, 2004 11:08 pm

Excellent, good to see it! I wonder if there are any planned trips soon? Would like to see manovuere through Maryhill Locks
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Postby Sharon » Sat Jun 05, 2004 3:03 pm

From the statistical Accounts of Scotland 1791-99 and 1845
http://stat-acc-scot.edina.ac.uk/stat-acc-scot/stat-acc-scot.asp?

Then select the "Table of contents" tab, then check the 1799 radio button, then scroll down a wee bit. and theres a link to lots of scanned pages from teh statistical acount book. "Account of the Forth and Clyde Navigation"

I haven't read it...but it'll interest some. :wink:

And for that matter...the staistical account books have been a great research source, so take time to work out how to use this very un-user frienly site. Its worth it!!!
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Another stretch of canal cycled.

Postby Cyclo2000 » Mon Jun 14, 2004 11:28 am

I have now been all the way to the Falkirk Wheel and in the other direction all the way to the junction of the Forth and Clyde with the Speirs Wharf spur.

Heading West towards Glasgow, I'll take up where I left off previously, just coming into Kirkintilloch. A very brief sodjourn in town past a boathouse and underneath a very impressive church brings us back out the town and to the Stables restuarant, another one of the original Coaching Houses converted for grub and pub use. There's usually a couple of narrow boats moored here and it's great spot to sit of the bank and have a pint. After the Stables the route becomes increasingly urban the further along you go. A bit further along there's another mooring where someone is restoring a minature puffer. I think it's called Joes Wharf. You will skirt through Possil and Springburn and past a marsh that is also a nature reserve before eventually coming to the junction of the two Glasgow canals. In order to continue here you'll need to cross underneath the canal. The left hand spur will take you in about 3 miles to Spiers Wharf and the heart of the City. The other spur heads on towards Bowling and the Sea. In all honesty, I can't recommend this path much after the Stables. There is a nice enough stretch for about a mile or so after the pub but after Bishopbriggs it gets increasingly depressing. Perhaps the stretch out from Glasgow is nicer but I ain't been there yet.

Going out towards the Wheel and the start of the Union canal now. In my previous post I left it at Bonnybridge. After the town falls away behind you on the left, you are on a very pleasant rural ride for 2 or 3 miles before reaching the wheel. There is nothing much to see other than the fields and trees and it really does feel like the great outdoors. The last few hundred yards is likely to be extremely busy with pedestrians so perhaps it's best to dismount. If you climb the hill at the back, up to the top of the Wheel, you will find yourself at the start (or the end) of the Union Canal. About 2 miles along I'm told there's a reasonably lengthy tunnel. If I ever cycle it I'll let you know.
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