Sixty-six miles of canal towpath coast to coast across central Scotland, from Bowling on the Clyde to Edinburgh
Indicative — sampled from open terrain data along the simplified route.
This towpath route crosses central Scotland from sea to sea, 66 miles (106 km) from Bowling on the Clyde west of Glasgow to Edinburgh Quay in the heart of Edinburgh. It joins two canals: the Forth & Clyde Canal as far as Falkirk, then the Union Canal on to the capital. The whole line is off-road and almost entirely flat, which makes it one of the easiest long routes in the country to walk or cycle, and it can be done comfortably in three or four days.
The two canals meet at the Falkirk Wheel, the rotating boat lift opened in 2002 that raises craft the 35 metres between them and now stands as the landmark of the route. The Forth & Clyde, the older canal, climbs and falls through a series of locks; the Union is a contour canal that holds a single level almost all the way to Edinburgh, with just one lock, near the Wheel. Near the eastern end the Union runs through the long Falkirk Tunnel, cut through solid rock.
The route passes through the edges of Glasgow and out into open country, by Kirkintilloch, the Falkirk Wheel and Linlithgow with its loch and palace, before the aqueducts and tunnel of the final approach to Edinburgh.
It is well served by rail — stations at Bowling, Falkirk, Linlithgow and either end — so it lends itself to being walked or ridden in day sections. Both canals were built in the years around 1800 to move goods across the waist of Scotland, fell into disuse, and were reopened together in 2001 as part of the Millennium Link.
