Moorings on the Forth & Clyde Canal
Key facts
- Type
- Canal
- Managed by
- Scottish Canals
- Total length
- 56 km(35 miles)
- Region
- Scotland
The Forth & Clyde Canal is Scotland's coast-to-coast canal, running 56 kilometres from Grangemouth on the Firth of Forth in the east to Bowling Basin on the River Clyde in the west, passing through Falkirk, Kirkintilloch and Glasgow. Opened in 1790 and reopened in 2001 after a major restoration project, the canal forms — together with the Union Canal at Falkirk via the famous Falkirk Wheel — the Lowland Canals network and one of the great cross-country cruising routes in Britain. For boat owners, the Forth & Clyde offers genuine waterway adventure: 39 locks, the Falkirk Wheel passage (booking required), Glasgow's Pinkston Basin, the dramatic Bowling Basin sea lock onto the Clyde, and the option of completing a circular cruise via the Union Canal back to the Firth of Forth. Managed by Scottish Canals, long-stay moorings are available at Auchinstarry Marina, Kirkintilloch, Glasgow's North Spiers Wharf, Bowling Harbour and the Falkirk Wheel basin. Glasgow's Pinkston basin and the surrounding regeneration give city-centre access to one of the great UK cities. The route passes through varied landscapes — industrial heritage, suburban Lowland scenery, open farmland and stretches of woodland. Rail throughout the route gives unusually strong liveaboard connectivity. A historic, characterful and internationally significant waterway.