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In 2011 we shortened our hotel narrowboat (then trading on the English/Welsh canal network) by 4ft for our move in July of that year, to the Scottish Lowland Canals. At the new length of 65ft we could just fit into the shorter, but wider, Scottish locks. It did mean squeezing her in diagonally, and moving the boat around within the chamber to open/shut the bottom gates .... just to make things interesting.
The first few photos on this page depict Willow being lowered into the River Leven for navigation up the River Clyde shipping lane to Bowling to ascend the sea lock up onto the Forth & Clyde Canal.
Willow was shortened in Cheshire and then due to time constraints, immediately loaded onto an extended trailer (not a low loader which is too short) in Cheshire. There were no canal based sea trials to make sure she was still 'sea worthy' where the hull sections had been boat builder welded. So when lowered into the tidal Leven on the North side of the tidal Clyde, we watched with some trepidation... hoping for no obvious salty air bubbles...phew!!
Before
moving onto the Clyde shipping lane we were required tocontact the
'Clyde Estuary Control' who monitor the shipping, and we were authorised
to go - relieved to hear that there would be no conflicts with any
container ships... Willow has a stern freeboard of approx 9", so
avoiding the wake of a container ship was another phew!!
The Forth & Clyde canal links the Firth of Clyde with the Firth of Forth on Scotlands East coast. Entry via the sea lock at Bowling might be scary for some, but for us we saw it as a welcome haven.
The basin area at Bowling, pretty, and with few boats that actually move anywhere.
Early
morning with Willow moored on the Forth & Clyde on its approach to
Bowling.... and with it's traditional Bascule Bridges.
Canalside at the Clydebank Retail park, this has got to be the most
unusual chippy in Scotland if not the UK... and the fish and chips are
damn good too. Interesting location with modern hydraulic lift bridges.
Next
up, the Maryhill area of the Forth & Clyde. Maryhill area is not
known for it's beauty, but on the canal it can be quite pretty and
serene.
(Despite the serene look to the Forth & Clyde locks, they can be quite a handful to operate compared with most locks on the English/Welsh network)
East of Glasgow the Forth & Clyde canal assumes a more rural outlook, almost river like.
Above near Cadder and below near Twechar
Below near Castlecary
Below near Bonnibridge
At Camelon, Falkirk, turning south into the Golden Jubilee lock, rises up into the Falkirk Wheel basin.
But
the Forth & Clyde canal continues east to the new Helix and the
Kelpies (day and night) before exiting onto the Firth of Forth at
Grangemouth.
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