Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Ancient and modern bridges at Kilpatrick. Even the soaring Erskine Bridge was not safe from being
bashed
.
The aqueduct of 1774 over Luggie Water was an engineering milestone, the first major
canal aqueduct in Scotland and the prototype for the Kelvin Aqueduct. Unlike the latter,
the navigation channel width is not reduced over the aqueduct. The 38m long x 27m wide
structure is 15m high and has horizontal side arches for support. The builders of the Camp-
sie Branch Railway, now a footpath, found there was sufficient room for them to get a line
through under the same arch by building a twin-arched culvert for the river and running the
railway across this.
Twechar was a mining village. The pivot for a swing railway bridge stands on the right
bank of the canal. The railway company was allowed to build its bridge across the canal if it
agreed to transport a large proportion of the coal by canal. Hence, this colliery was still mov-
ing coal by water when most other collieries had gone over to using trains.
A meandering section of canal at Kilsyth is followed by a swing bridge. Near Kilsyth a
soldier on horseback was found preserved in a bog.
Croy Hill has a disused quarry and Roman fort site. Red cliffs surround a picnic site on the
opposite side of the canal. Between them is a spur that is Auchinstarry Marina, served by the
Boathouse, built by Bristish Waterways' Waterside Pub Partnership at Auchinstarry Marina
in 2008 and claimed to be the country's first sustainable public house, including geothermal
heating.
The Union Canal formerly connected where some low white railings are located at Port
Downie in Camelon. This wharf, above the top lock of the Falkirk Flight, was one of the most
important points on the canal, not only as the junction but also because the line is only lightly
locked between here and Glasgow. Both canals were served by the Georgian Union Inn. The
world's first steam boat was launched on to the canal here in 1789 but had problems with its
paddle wheels. The steam boat
Charlotte Dundas
conducted further trials from the Glasgow
end in 1802, towing two 70t barges 31km. Experiments were abandoned for fear of the wash
damaging the banks. From 1831 to the late 1840s swift boats operated a passenger service
that took three and a half hours for the 40km. The boats travelled at 16km/h, pulled by horses
