Falkirk to Croy

26 September 2010 - FalKIRK to Croy

Distance - 12.2 miles

Weather - Sunny

To complete this section of the LEJOG we drove from Stirling to Falkirk High station. After

parking the car we made our way to the canal tow path. There were a lot of people gathered by the canal, several with some serious camera equipment. We gradually learned that this was the tenth anniversary of the reopening of the Union Canal and that there was a large flotilla of canal boats undertaking the journey from Edinburgh to Bowling. There were also special events happening all along the canal today. We hung around for a while, but learned that the boats had stopped off at Linlithgow (probably at that nice cafe by the canal basin we visited) and it would be some time before they made an appearance at Falkirk. So we decided to start walking and see if they caught up with us.

Deep Lock Near Falkirk High

We wandered along the tow path, up to a very deep

Santa's Canal-side Grotto

lock, where we met a member of the British Waterways team, who chatted about the canal and the effort it had taken to re-open the canal. She also chuckled when we asked about the flotilla, apparently it was more of a jaunt that a project and the schedule was quite variable! There was no telling when they would get to Falkirk! So we trundled on, past Santa's grotto, which looked a bit incongruous framed by the bright blue sky towards Rough Castle Tunnel.

Rough Castle Tunnel

Inside The Top Of The Falkirk Wheel

Rough Castle Tunnel is another of these dark, wet and dripping tunnels, but with a difference - this one has the Falkirk Wheel at the end! There were once a number of locks joining the

Falkirk Wheel

Union Canal and Forth & Clyde canal together, but they were demolished when the canal fell into disuse - the Falkirk Wheel was built as a means of reconnecting the two canals. I really think this structure speaks volumes about British engineering and I love the fact that it's practically on my doorstep. There are lots of quirky facts regarding the wheel, my favourite is how efficient it is. The tow path continues into the top of the wheel itself, but as per our rules regarding taking lifts and ferries, we didn't take the boat trip that day, but walked down to the Visitor's Centre. There were even more distractions here, with a mini fete taking place - including a display of hawks and owls. After a nosy around and the obligatory ice cream, we continued our walk, now on the tow path of the Forth & Clyde canal.

Lift Bridge At Bonnybridge

Once the tow path had passed the Falkirk Wheel car park, the crowds thinned and we had it practically to ourselves for the rest of the way. We made our way through Bonnybridge, where the road can be lifted to allow boats to pass. We carried on up to Haggs, passing by the construction site of the upgrade of the A80 to the M80, and under another of those new Millenium bridges to cross beneath the M80 itself. 

Quarry Workings At Croy Hill

The most "interesting" part of the day was when we decided to leave the canal and make our way to Croy station, to catch the train back to Falkirk. The map clearly stated that there was a track leading all the way to the station and we decided to take this, rather than walk along to the B802 (which is a bit of a ratrun). Everything started off OK, there was a really big vehicle track, which later narrowed to a footpath, then disappeared. Bearing in mind that this whole area is an old quarry, we cautiously made our way along the remaining few hundred metres to the station. Inevitably, we saw the train go past, just as we were about five minutes away from the station and had to wait an hour until the next one to Falkirk High!