BEDFORD-VISSER
WITH current restrictions on how far and where we can travel, the canals and towpaths provide space for relaxation and exercise, whether in the countryside or through urban areas.
Spending time near water can improve mental health and even pictures of the water, wildlife, trees and plants can give us a mental lift. Scotland’s canals offer all of this at any time of year.
Whether you’re able to get out and about, or restricted to home, here’s a brief selection of some of the walks and virtual tours, all of which have information online to help you make sense of the surroundings and structures along the way.
ICE, the Institute of Civil Engineers has a free walks leaflet: Glasgow’s Forth & Clyde civil engineering trail. Starting from the Pinkston Water Sports Centre in north Glasgow, the trail follows the canal north-west to the Kelvin Aqueduct. Along the way walkers and cyclists will find fascinating information about the engineering of the canal and the bridges, locks, basins and the aqueduct itself, opened in 1790 and a huge visitor attraction at the time. The leaflet can be downloaded from: ice.org.uk/about-ice/ near-you/uk/scotland/publications/ glasgow-forth-clyde-canal-trail
Hamiltonhill Claypits Local Nature Reserve is a community green space in the heart of north Glasgow. Located across the canal from the old timber basin at Firhill, the Claypits themselves were originally dug out to provide clay to line the Forth & Clyde Canal during its construction. Other industries on the site included a foundry, glassworks and boat building. Today the reserve, just one mile from the centre of Glasgow, offers a wild, green space, home to lots of wildlife. Visitors can cross the new canal bridge and wander along the boardwalks. Find information online at twitter.com/ ClaypitsLnr or facebook.com/Claypits
Union Canal Unlocked (unioncanalunlocked.org.uk/) is available as a downloadable app. With an interactive map of the canal and masses of information including points of interest, stories, history and even a song, you’ll be set up for a whole series of walks exploring the Union Canal from the centre of Edinburgh to the Falkirk Wheel. Also, on the Union Canal, Bridge 19-40 Union Canal Society has a virtual journey along the eight-mile stretch on which they operate (from Bridge 19 to Bridge 40) accompanied by a history of the area and the bridges themselves. Find the online tour at bridge19-40.co.uk
Coinciding with the introduction of online licensing, Scottish Canals launched a series of videos, A journey like no other, to showcase the unique experience and beautiful surroundings found along Scotland’s canals. Plan for post-lockdown visits or find a few minutes’ escapism by watching the videos on Scottish Canals’ YouTube channel.
More trails and ideas for getting out and about on Scotland’s waterways can be found on Scottish Canals’ website scottishcanals.co.uk/activities/trails/
Photos from A journey like no other, Scottish Canals