Forth to Firth Canal Pathway
Encyclopedia
The Firth to Forth canal pathway runs from the Firth of Clyde
to Firth of Forth
and is a 106 kilometres (65.9 mi) long footpath and cycleway that runs across Scotland
, between Bowling, west of Glasgow
, and Lochrin
Basin (Edinburgh Quay) in Edinburgh
. The path runs on the towpath
s of the Forth & Clyde and Union Canal
s and is entirely off road. The path is well maintained and its surface is generally good, although there are some stretches particularly between Falkirk and the outskirts of Edinburgh where wet weather leads to muddy conditions unsuitable for road minded bicycles. It is well used by walkers and cyclists. Accessing the path is very easy since there are railway stations close to the path for its entire length. The path is best followed from the Clyde
to the Forth
because the prevailing wind is from the south west.
, Boghouse Locks, Clobberhill Locks, Temple Locks and Maryhill Locks. It passes close to the former Singer
Sewing Machine Works which once employed 19,000 people and exported sewing machines all over the world, including many to pre-Revolutionary Russia
. At Stockingfield Junction near Maryhill
is the 'Glasgow Branch' a spur which originally connected to the Monkland Canal
(which connected with Port Dundas
, close to the city centre of Glasgow. This branch however is not part of the path network.
From Stockingfield Junction the canal path runs north east, through Bishopbriggs
, Kirkintilloch
and Kilsyth
, to Falkirk
where the Forth & Clyde Canal joins with the Union Canal
. A branch of the Forth & Clyde Canal runs from Falkirk to the River Carron, near Grangemouth. This branch is not part of the path.
The Falkirk Wheel
allows water craft to move between the Forth & Clyde and Union canals. It replaces the eleven locks that used to allow boats to traverse the 110 feet (33.5 m) height difference between the two canals.
The path continues along the towpath of the Union Canal, through Linlithgow
, past the red shale bings which are all that remains of Scotland's oilshale industry, and through the outskirts of Edinburgh. Unlike the Forth and Clyde Canal with its many lock systems, the Union Canal is a contour canal and there is only one lock [near the Falkirk Wheel].
The path ends at the canal port at Lochrin
Basin, Edinburgh Quay, near Tollcross
, in the centre of Edinburgh. If desired the pathway can be extended a further one to two miles (3 km) through the centre of Edinburgh and down to Leith and Leith Docks.
Railway lines run close to the path for most of its length. Bowling Station, on the line from Glasgow, is close to the start of the path. Both Glasgow main line railway stations are in the centre of the city, only a few hundred yards apart. The line which has run close to the path from Bowling to Glasgow passes through Glasgow Central Station low-level. The railway line which runs close to the rest of the path runs from Glasgow Queen Street Station
to Edinburgh Haymarket Station
. Trains are frequent on both lines. In Croy
, Falkirk
and Linlithgow
the canal is only a few hundred yards from the railway station. Edinburgh's Waverley Station and Haymarket Station are only a short distance from Lochrin Basin.
The path can be completed in three, roughly equal, sections.
have devised an alternative coast to coast route. This starts at Gourock
on the Firth of Clyde and then goes to Bells Bridge in Glasgow, via Paisley
. It then goes to Edinburgh via Airdrie
, the Bathgate Railway Path, the Water of Leith Walkway
and the Union Canal towpath. This route is longer at 171 miles (275.2 km) and only 98 miles (157.7 km) of the path are off road.
Firth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water, sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and Ayrshire, Scotland. The Kilbrannan Sound is a large arm of the Firth of Clyde, separating the Kintyre Peninsula from the Isle of Arran.At...
to Firth of Forth
Firth of Forth
The Firth of Forth is the estuary or firth of Scotland's River Forth, where it flows into the North Sea, between Fife to the north, and West Lothian, the City of Edinburgh and East Lothian to the south...
and is a 106 kilometres (65.9 mi) long footpath and cycleway that runs across Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, between Bowling, west of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, and Lochrin
Lochrin
Lochrin is a small area in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It is in the south-west corner of the city centre, part of the Tollcross area, and beside Fountainbridge. Lochrin contains a wide mixture of retail shops, leisure facilities, other businesses and tenement housing...
Basin (Edinburgh Quay) in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
. The path runs on the towpath
Towpath
A towpath is a road or trail on the bank of a river, canal, or other inland waterway. The purpose of a towpath is to allow a land vehicle, beasts of burden, or a team of human pullers to tow a boat, often a barge...
s of the Forth & Clyde and Union Canal
Union Canal (Scotland)
The Union Canal is a 31.5-mile canal in Scotland, from Lochrin Basin, Fountainbridge, Edinburgh to Falkirk, where it meets the Forth and Clyde Canal.-Location and features:...
s and is entirely off road. The path is well maintained and its surface is generally good, although there are some stretches particularly between Falkirk and the outskirts of Edinburgh where wet weather leads to muddy conditions unsuitable for road minded bicycles. It is well used by walkers and cyclists. Accessing the path is very easy since there are railway stations close to the path for its entire length. The path is best followed from the Clyde
Firth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water, sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and Ayrshire, Scotland. The Kilbrannan Sound is a large arm of the Firth of Clyde, separating the Kintyre Peninsula from the Isle of Arran.At...
to the Forth
Firth of Forth
The Firth of Forth is the estuary or firth of Scotland's River Forth, where it flows into the North Sea, between Fife to the north, and West Lothian, the City of Edinburgh and East Lothian to the south...
because the prevailing wind is from the south west.
Route of the path
The path begins at Bowling Basin where the Forth & Clyde Canal enters the Firth of Clyde. The canal runs east through ClydebankClydebank
Clydebank is a town in West Dunbartonshire, in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. Situated on the north bank of the River Clyde, Clydebank borders Dumbarton, the town with which it was combined to form West Dunbartonshire, as well as the town of Milngavie in East Dunbartonshire, and the Yoker and...
, Boghouse Locks, Clobberhill Locks, Temple Locks and Maryhill Locks. It passes close to the former Singer
Singer Corporation
Singer Corporation is a manufacturer of sewing machines, first established as I.M. Singer & Co. in 1851 by Isaac Merritt Singer with New York lawyer Edward Clark. Best known for its sewing machines, it was renamed Singer Manufacturing Company in 1865, then The Singer Company in 1963. It is...
Sewing Machine Works which once employed 19,000 people and exported sewing machines all over the world, including many to pre-Revolutionary Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. At Stockingfield Junction near Maryhill
Maryhill
Maryhill is an area of the City of Glasgow in Scotland. Maryhill is a former burgh. The population of Maryhill is about 52,000. Maryhill stretches over along Maryhill Road...
is the 'Glasgow Branch' a spur which originally connected to the Monkland Canal
Monkland Canal
The Monkland Canal was a 12.25-mile canal which connected the coal mining areas of Monklands to Glasgow in Scotland. It was opened in 1794, and included a steam-powered inclined plane at Blackhill. It was abandoned for navigation in 1942, but its culverted remains still supply water to the Forth...
(which connected with Port Dundas
Port Dundas
Port Dundas is an area of Glasgow, Scotland, located to the north of the city centre. It lies to the north of Cowcaddens, and to the west of Sighthill, with Hamiltonhill and Possilpark to the north-west.-History:...
, close to the city centre of Glasgow. This branch however is not part of the path network.
From Stockingfield Junction the canal path runs north east, through Bishopbriggs
Bishopbriggs
Bishopbriggs is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. The area was once part of the historic parish of Cadder - originally lands granted by King William the Lion to the Bishop of Glasgow, Jocelin, in 1180. It was later part of the county of Lanarkshire and subsequently an independent burgh from...
, Kirkintilloch
Kirkintilloch
Kirkintilloch is a town and former burgh in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It lies on the Forth and Clyde Canal, about eight miles northeast of central Glasgow...
and Kilsyth
Kilsyth
Kilsyth is a town of 10,100 roughly halfway between Glasgow and Stirling in North Lanarkshire, Scotland.-Location:...
, to Falkirk
Falkirk
Falkirk is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies in the Forth Valley, almost midway between the two most populous cities of Scotland; north-west of Edinburgh and north-east of Glasgow....
where the Forth & Clyde Canal joins with the Union Canal
Union Canal (Scotland)
The Union Canal is a 31.5-mile canal in Scotland, from Lochrin Basin, Fountainbridge, Edinburgh to Falkirk, where it meets the Forth and Clyde Canal.-Location and features:...
. A branch of the Forth & Clyde Canal runs from Falkirk to the River Carron, near Grangemouth. This branch is not part of the path.
The Falkirk Wheel
Falkirk Wheel
The Falkirk Wheel is a rotating boat lift located in Scotland, UK,connecting the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal, opened in 2002. It is named after the nearby town of Falkirk which is in central Scotland...
allows water craft to move between the Forth & Clyde and Union canals. It replaces the eleven locks that used to allow boats to traverse the 110 feet (33.5 m) height difference between the two canals.
The path continues along the towpath of the Union Canal, through Linlithgow
Linlithgow
Linlithgow is a Royal Burgh in West Lothian, Scotland. An ancient town, it lies south of its two most prominent landmarks: Linlithgow Palace and Linlithgow Loch, and north of the Union Canal....
, past the red shale bings which are all that remains of Scotland's oilshale industry, and through the outskirts of Edinburgh. Unlike the Forth and Clyde Canal with its many lock systems, the Union Canal is a contour canal and there is only one lock [near the Falkirk Wheel].
The path ends at the canal port at Lochrin
Lochrin
Lochrin is a small area in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It is in the south-west corner of the city centre, part of the Tollcross area, and beside Fountainbridge. Lochrin contains a wide mixture of retail shops, leisure facilities, other businesses and tenement housing...
Basin, Edinburgh Quay, near Tollcross
Tollcross, Edinburgh
Tollcross is a crossroads in the South-West of the City Centre of Edinburgh, Scotland, and also the surrounding area which derives its name from the junction.-Physical description:...
, in the centre of Edinburgh. If desired the pathway can be extended a further one to two miles (3 km) through the centre of Edinburgh and down to Leith and Leith Docks.
Railway lines run close to the path for most of its length. Bowling Station, on the line from Glasgow, is close to the start of the path. Both Glasgow main line railway stations are in the centre of the city, only a few hundred yards apart. The line which has run close to the path from Bowling to Glasgow passes through Glasgow Central Station low-level. The railway line which runs close to the rest of the path runs from Glasgow Queen Street Station
Glasgow Queen Street railway station
Glasgow Queen Street is a railway station in Glasgow, Scotland, the smaller of the city's two main line railway termini and the third-busiest station in Scotland. It is between George Street to the south and Cathedral Street Bridge to the north, at the northern end of Queen Street adjacent to...
to Edinburgh Haymarket Station
Haymarket railway station
For the Tyne and Wear Metro see Haymarket Metro station.Haymarket railway station is in Haymarket, Edinburgh, Scotland. It is Edinburgh's second largest station after Waverley, a major commuter and long-distance destination, located quite centrally near the West End...
. Trains are frequent on both lines. In Croy
Croy, North Lanarkshire
Croy is a village in North Lanarkshire), Scotland. A former mining community, Croy is situated some 21 km from Glasgow and 60 km from Edinburgh on the main railway line between the two cities, with a frequent service to both...
, Falkirk
Falkirk
Falkirk is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies in the Forth Valley, almost midway between the two most populous cities of Scotland; north-west of Edinburgh and north-east of Glasgow....
and Linlithgow
Linlithgow
Linlithgow is a Royal Burgh in West Lothian, Scotland. An ancient town, it lies south of its two most prominent landmarks: Linlithgow Palace and Linlithgow Loch, and north of the Union Canal....
the canal is only a few hundred yards from the railway station. Edinburgh's Waverley Station and Haymarket Station are only a short distance from Lochrin Basin.
The path can be completed in three, roughly equal, sections.
- Bowling Basin (Bowling StationBowling railway stationThe station is managed by First ScotRail who also provide the train service.The station was made famous by a painting by the renowned railway artist, the late Terence Cuneo, who depicted a then new Blue train heading westbound into Bowling, passing a steam engine, which the 303 had replaced, in a...
) to Auchinstarry Basin, KilsythKilsythKilsyth is a town of 10,100 roughly halfway between Glasgow and Stirling in North Lanarkshire, Scotland.-Location:...
(Croy StationCroy railway stationCroy railway station serves the towns of Croy and Kilsyth, as well as part of Cumbernauld, in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. Located on the Glasgow to Edinburgh via Falkirk Line 18 km north east of Glasgow Queen Street, it is also served by SPT services on the Croy Line...
) - Auchinstarry Basin to Linlithgow Canal Centre (Linlithgow StationLinlithgow railway stationLinlithgow railway station is a railway station serving the town of Linlithgow in West Lothian, Scotland. It is located on the Glasgow to Edinburgh via Falkirk Line and is also served by First ScotRail services from to , and the daily train between and the Fife Circle Line.- History :Linlithgow...
) - Linlithgow Canal Centre to Lochrin Basin (Haymarket and Waverley Stations)
Places of interest along the path
- The Slateford AqueductSlateford AqueductThe Slateford Aqueduct is a navigable aqueduct in Slateford, Edinburgh, Scotland. It was built by Hugh Baird and completed in 1822 with advice from Thomas Telford....
on the outskirts of Edinburgh takes the canal over the Water of Leith. - The Avon AqueductAvon AqueductThe Avon Aqueduct is a navigable aqueduct on the Union Canal near Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland, United Kingdom. It is long and high; it is the longest and tallest aqueduct in Scotland, and the second longest in Britain...
is west of Linlithgow and is 810 feet (246.9 m) long and 86 feet (26.2 m) high. It is the second largest aqueduct in Britain. - At BroxburnBroxburnBroxburn is the name of more than one place in the United Kingdom:*Broxburn, East Lothian, Scotland*Broxburn, West Lothian, ScotlandIt is also the name of a place in Australia:*Broxburn, Queensland, Australia...
on the Union Canal the path runs between a number of red shale bings. The world's oil industry was started near here by James 'Paraffin' Young who build an industry to extract oil from shale. The bings are the remains of an industry which once employed 10,000 people in the area. Some of the bings have been removed to provide foundation material for motorways, but many remain. - The Almond AqueductAlmond AqueductThe Almond Aqueduct is a navigable aqueduct in Scotland, west of Ratho. Measuring long, it carries the Union Canal above the River Almond, from Edinburgh into West Lothian. It can be reached by car and by cyclists on the Union Canal path.-External links:**...
is west of Ratho and takes the canal 75 feet (22.9 m) above the River Almond. - The Falkirk WheelFalkirk WheelThe Falkirk Wheel is a rotating boat lift located in Scotland, UK,connecting the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal, opened in 2002. It is named after the nearby town of Falkirk which is in central Scotland...
- The Falkirk Tunnel is the oldest and longest canal tunnel in Scotland. It is 631 meters long, 5.5 meters wide and 6 meters high.
- The burgh of KilsythKilsythKilsyth is a town of 10,100 roughly halfway between Glasgow and Stirling in North Lanarkshire, Scotland.-Location:...
, with ColziumColziumColzium House and Estate is about 500 metres to the north-east of Kilsyth, North Lanarkshire, Scotland...
estate and park - The Antonine WallAntonine WallThe Antonine Wall is a stone and turf fortification built by the Romans across what is now the Central Belt of Scotland, between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde. Representing the northernmost frontier barrier of the Roman Empire, it spanned approximately 39 miles and was about ten feet ...
, which is an ancient RomanAncient RomeAncient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
fortification and wallWallA wall is a usually solid structure that defines and sometimes protects an area. Most commonly, a wall delineates a building and supports its superstructure, separates space in buildings into rooms, or protects or delineates a space in the open air...
, best seen at Barr Hill near TwecharTwecharTwechar is a small former mining village in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It lies between the larger towns of Kirkintilloch and Kilsyth.The Forth and Clyde Canal runs close to the village to the north, and closely follows the line of the Antonine Wall... - The Kelvin AqueductKelvin AqueductThe Kelvin Aqueduct is an aqueduct in Glasgow which carries the Forth and Clyde Canal over the River Kelvin. It is long and high, and when opened in 1790 was Britain's largest. It is protected as a category A listed building.-External links:**...
in Glasgow is 400 feet (121.9 m) long and 70 feet (21.3 m) high.
Maps and guides
- Forth and Clyde and Union Canal - guide & maps to the route on Walkhighlands
- Annotated map of the route
- Forth & Clyde and Union Canals map by GEOprojects [UK]. ISBN 0-86351-139-2.
- Exploring the Edinburgh to Glasgow Canals by Hamish Brown. Mercat Press. Jul 2006. ISBN 1-84183-096-8.
Alternative coast to coast route
SustransSustrans
Sustrans is a British charity to promote sustainable transport. The charity is currently working on a number of practical projects to encourage people to walk, cycle and use public transport, to give people the choice of "travelling in ways that benefit their health and the environment"...
have devised an alternative coast to coast route. This starts at Gourock
Gourock
Gourock is a town falling within the Inverclyde council area and formerly forming a burgh of the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It has in the past functioned as a seaside resort on the Firth of Clyde...
on the Firth of Clyde and then goes to Bells Bridge in Glasgow, via Paisley
Paisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
. It then goes to Edinburgh via Airdrie
Airdrie, North Lanarkshire
Airdrie is a town within North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It lies on a plateau roughly 400 ft above sea level, and is approximately 12 miles east of Glasgow city centre. Airdrie forms part of a conurbation with its neighbour Coatbridge, in the former district known as the Monklands. As of 2006,...
, the Bathgate Railway Path, the Water of Leith Walkway
Water of Leith Walkway
The Water of Leith Walkway is a public footpath and cycleway that runs alongside the small river of the same name through Edinburgh, Scotland, from Balerno to Leith....
and the Union Canal towpath. This route is longer at 171 miles (275.2 km) and only 98 miles (157.7 km) of the path are off road.