Canals closing in Scotland

[Sneaky Pete]

In Fridays Daily Express front page is reporting that due to lack of investment in the Scottish canal system there may be closures and a great deal of disruption for users.
Lack of investment has left parts of the canals unsafe to use. Funnily enough they were taken over by the Scottish government SNP only a few years ago and it would appear that they see no advantages in investing enough to keep them running.
There isn’t enough money to repair the pot-holes on the roads let alone the pot-holes in the canals. If there are too many pot-holes in the canals they’ll be no water end of problem.
The Forth and Clyde is no longer open all the way from Grangemouth to Bowling due to safety issues.

 

[JumbleDuck]

A very gloomy article along similar lines in today's Herald:

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/...and_s_historic_canal_network_closed_to_boats/

In a new strategy document, Scottish Canals said that maintaining navigation across the network is “unsustainable”, and will be replaced with a strategy that does not involve the movement of boats.

Scottish Canals said the 137-mile network needed to be looked after “for the benefit of the many as well as the few” and that might not include navigation. The strategy says: “Historically our approach has been to maintain all of the canals to a similar level of service, maintaining navigation and supporting a variety of additional uses. “While this has been achievable in the short term, it has resulted in a growing backlog of work and further deterioration in the serviceability of assets. Maintaining this approach is unsustainable."

“Consideration must be given to the primary use and function of the various canals, recognising the wider benefits to the greatest number of people”.

“This may not necessarily include navigation, although this is an important consideration.”

According to the strategy, the two main canals will be the Caledonian and Crinan Canals, that between them see some 85,000 boat movements a year, compared to a mere 200 on the western section of the Forth and Clyde Canal between Glasgow and Bowling.​

I can't find the strategy document referred to anywhere on the Scottish Canals website. There is nothing along those lines in the "Policy & Strategy" section (https://www.scottishcanals.co.uk/corporate/policy/publications-and-strategy-documents/) and the most recent overall plan is from last year and doesn't use the word "navigation" at all.

 

[Uricanejack]

That's a pity.
I have recently re discovered the Forth and Clyde Canal. I recall it as a disused repository for shopping carts. Shortly after it closed. I remember seeing a dump truck which had fallen through the wooded bridge at Dorchester. A fair amount of money must have been spent cleaning The canal up and making the locks serviceable again. The Bowling Sea pool was still functional.

I walked from Annies land, Through Mary Hill past Firhill to Spiers Warf the other day and it was quite a nice way to pass through Glasgow. Not much boat traffic just 3 kayaks. a few ducks and swans. A lot of cyclists. But some nice canal boats down in Blowing and at Spiers Warf.
Also walked from the Kelvin Aqueduct down to the Riverside museum again a beautiful walk. I saw salmon parr in the Allender and Kelvin. Changed days.
Unfortunately it would appear the lifting bridges are NFG.
It would be a shame to see this go back to the disused tip it was which would have avoided walking along.

I have not been to the Falkirk wheel or the Kelpies. Yet again it seams a shame to let it fall back into disuse after putting all this into place.
Had a walk along the Canal at bowling as well. The Canal pools at bowling looked nice. but the Sea pool looked pretty bad with a few old wrecks sunk in it.
Looks like a good spot to put a Marina if you get rid of the wrecks. Of course its in Bowling. In isn't Greenock.
Apparently you can navigate from Falkirk wheel to Grangmouth or Edinburgh.

Its not just boats who use this canal or benefit from its use. But the usability of the canal by boats appears to be important to keeping it respected enough to not just fill it with old shit and shopping trolleys.

 

[Quandary]

It is not just resources, though these are limited, it is the way thy are used. Several years ago the outdoor staff on the Crinan asked for a wage rate to equate to the skills the maintence jobs demanded, carpentry, dry stone dyking, welding etc. This was refused so they stopped doing maintenance, half finished landings are taped off, replacement swing bars are lying rotting in the grass, jettys are unusable because of rust nails and rotten timber while the replacement decking is still sitting around. A couple of recently recruited guys are doing some stuff but most of it has been left. A while ago it was reported that their wages were cut, so attitudes have hardened.
We had a visit from the chairman of the quango a couple of years ago, he refused to answer any meaningful questions and gave the impression of intolerant arrogance, a real posterior aperture. There are no transits most months in winter but the Canal remains open and manned though hours are reduced, they just do not do any of the winter tasks they used to. At the same time substantial sums have been spent by Sustrans on the towpaths, they have new leds every 3m. set in to the surface all the way from Ardrishaig to Lochgilphead so when the Canal eventually fails there will be a cycle path along its route. The former 'Canal House' was a hotel, it was vacated about ten years ago and since has been boarded up and is now derelict, they had appointed an estate agent in Edinburgh who at the time did not have a website to find a new tenant? Meanwhile a £ million has been found to convert an old egg packing shed hidden behind the Canal office into a 'Gateway to Argyll'. Considerable sums have been spent on feasability study after study, with no action.
Whether this can be laid at the door of the SNP is questionable but they did set up the quango and must have had a role in who was appointed to run it. If they could be persuaded they were being blamed for it they might do something? But then a month or so back with great fanfare they trumpeted the appointment of the CEO of Scottish Canals to run Scottish Enterprise, so the rot will spread?

 

[Slipstream 34]

A quote from Scottish Canals twitter feed.

"Scottish Canals
@scottishcanals
We're the custodians of Scotland's canals - a vital part of our nation's rich heritage, contributing #CanalMagic to Scottish life for 250 years."


Like all aspects of our current political regime... "Full of sound and fury signifying nothing"

Very very sad to see such a decline. Especially so if it is on your door step.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Unfortunately it would appear the lifting bridges are NFG.

They used a lot of high-tech solutions in the rebuilding (hydraulically jacked bridges, the drop lock) to avoid doing civil engineering which, in the long run, would probably have been a better choice. Road embankments don't often break down ...

Had a walk along the Canal at bowling as well. The Canal pools at bowling looked nice. but the Sea pool looked pretty bad with a few old wrecks sunk in it.

It was MUCH worse before the rebuilding. Nowadays its a few wrecks in the west end of the basin; then it was lots of wrecks in both ends. Picturesque, but not great for navigation.

I would be much more tempted to make a transit if there was an affordable, professional mast-lowering-transporting-and-raising service.

 

[wee_niall]

dont suppose anybody has any info on the likelihood of the F&C being open for navigation next year? I'm keen to have a season over in the west next year (on loch fyne) and the F&C would be perfect....doing the cally would take too long and a bit too hardcore for us....getting to inverness from the tay and then from fort william to loch fyne would be quite an expedition.

 

[[70521]]

dont suppose anybody has any info on the likelihood of the F&C being open for navigation next year? I'm keen to have a season over in the west next year (on loch fyne) and the F&C would be perfect....doing the cally would take too long and a bit too hardcore for us....getting to inverness from the tay and then from fort william to loch fyne would be quite an expedition.

The southerly route is a longer option. Lands End at sundown is quite a sight.

 

[wee_niall]

thats true but a bit beyond my time and experience

 

[JumbleDuck]

dont suppose anybody has any info on the likelihood of the F&C being open for navigation next year? I'm keen to have a season over in the west next year (on loch fyne) and the F&C would be perfect....doing the cally would take too long and a bit too hardcore for us....getting to inverness from the tay and then from fort william to loch fyne would be quite an expedition.

It's not looking good. Bonnybridge Bridge is closed indefinitely, Bard Avenue Bridge is opened once per month and Lock 6 is out of service indefinitely after a boat took out a lock gate. I wouldn't bet on it being open next year. Perhaps if the Powers That Be had spent a little more more over the years making it a viable waterway and a little less fannying about with stupid big cuddies' heids, it wouldn't be in such a mess.

Leamington Lift Bridge on the Union Canal is stuffed too, so nobody can get in or out of the basin in Edinburgh.

https://www.scottishcanals.co.uk/news/bridge-restrictions-operational-changes/

https://www.scottishcanals.co.uk/news/forth-clyde-canal-east-closed-to-boat-transits/

https://www.scottishcanals.co.uk/news/leamington-lift-bridge-temporary-closure/

 

[ProDave]

It's not looking good. Bonnybridge Bridge is closed indefinitely, Bard Avenue Bridge is opened once per month and Lock 6 is out of service indefinitely after a boat took out a lock gate. I wouldn't bet on it being open next year. Perhaps if the Powers That Be had spent a little more more over the years making it a viable waterway and a little less fannying about with stupid big cuddies' heids, it wouldn't be in such a mess.

Leamington Lift Bridge on the Union Canal is stuffed too, so nobody can get in or out of the basin in Edinburgh.

https://www.scottishcanals.co.uk/news/bridge-restrictions-operational-changes/

https://www.scottishcanals.co.uk/news/forth-clyde-canal-east-closed-to-boat-transits/

https://www.scottishcanals.co.uk/news/leamington-lift-bridge-temporary-closure/

What a sorry state of affairs.

I transited much of the F&C (on a hired boat) not many years after the Falkirk wheel was opened, and it was perfectly navigable then. Indeed much money had been spent restoring the navigation.

To hear that navigation of boats through it is not considered a primary function of it is just bizarre.

Perhaps this needs a post in the Scoot forum? another "SNP Baaaaaaad" post.

 

[wee_niall]

it is a tragedy - we came through west to east a few years ago and it was great. It does seem that Scottish canals are more interested in the property/regeneration side of the business and keeping waterways navigable is just too much hassle. You wonder why they bothered with the new carron cut and sea lock complete with mast crane if being able to transit isn't important.

I also noticed on the website that they have reduced the days of operation (https://www.scottishcanals.co.uk/activities/boating/forth-clyde-union-canals/plan-your-trip/) which if made permanent (after the bridges are fixed) would rule out a 2 day transit east to west.

Looks like i might need to plan a different adventure for next year

 

[Deleted member 36384]

Austerity reaches far.

Clearly abject failure of this https://www.scottishcanals.co.uk/co.../Scottish-Canals-Corporate-Plan-2014-2017.pdf

This is the culprits https://www.scottishcanals.co.uk/corporate/about-us/our-structure-and-governance/

Money is tight so leisure projects like the canals should not receive state funding while we have pot holed roads, crap hospitals (in some cases) and the near collapse in social services beyond the minimum statutory requirements (which is a struggle to achieve in its self).

My expectation is that the Canals will become derelict again if tax receipts in the UK fall. It makes better economic sense to provide a carpark at Skye's Fairpools than fix a damaged canal.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

dont suppose anybody has any info on the likelihood of the F&C being open for navigation next year? I'm keen to have a season over in the west next year (on loch fyne) and the F&C would be perfect....doing the cally would take too long and a bit too hardcore for us....getting to inverness from the tay and then from fort william to loch fyne would be quite an expedition.

I went from the Clyde to Titchmarsh (near Harwich) in 2016, and the passage from the Clyde to Eyemouth via the Caledonian Canal was fine. We went from James Watt Dock to Corpach in four days sailing; JWDM - Brodick, Brodick - Craobh (via the MoK), Craobh - Dunstaffnage and Dunstaffnage - Corpach. The passage from Brodick - Craobh was a bit of an epic; we got caught out by a gale coming through earlier than forecast, and elected to contiue to Craobh rather than get weather bound at Gigha. The Caledonian Canal itself is not difficult; all the locks are manned, the the lock-keepers are very helpful handling lines. The only snag I had was that we arrived at Inverness just after the swing bridge at the foot of the Muirhead flight was closed for the day - they have to give priority to road traffic, so although the canal is theoretically open until 17.30, you can't pass that bridge after about 15.30! We could have done the transit in two days, but chose to spend a couple of days at Inverness. From Inverness to Eyemouth we did two longish passage - Inverness - Peterhead and Peterhead - Eyemouth. There were two of us aboard for most of the passage, myself and a friend, and had no serious problems.

I'd regard the F&C as much more difficult, and chose not to go that way for several reasons, most of which have already been mentioned:

• Depth - Capricious draws 1.6 metres, maybe a bit more. That's right on the minimum depths of the F&C, so a shopping trolley in the wrong place would stop us.
• Mast stepping and unstepping - facilities are available, but it's a DIY job mainly, and would mean rigging some sort of trestle to carry the mast through the canal. I don't fancy going through locks etc. with the delicate equipment at the masthead all ready to be swiped off by a chance encounter with a lock gate! I reckoned I'd lose at least two days stepping and unstepping the mast.
• Not mentioned is that the canal runs through some pretty rough areas, and having stones thrown at yachts is not unknown. You certainly wouldn't want to stop for the night in some places (especially not with an English accent!)

If the F&C was maintained to the same standard as the Caledonian canal, and if the problem of mast stepping and unstepping was properly addressed, I'd have been willing to try it. As it was, it wasn't an option.

 

[wee_niall]

I went from the Clyde to Titchmarsh (near Harwich) in 2016, and the passage from the Clyde to Eyemouth via the Caledonian Canal was fine. The Caledonian Canal itself is not difficult; all the locks are manned, the the lock-keepers are very helpful handling lines. The only snag I had was that we arrived at Inverness just after the swing bridge at the foot of the Muirhead flight was closed for the day - they have to give priority to road traffic, so although the canal is theoretically open until 17.30, you can't pass that bridge after about 15.30! We could have done the transit in two days, but chose to spend a couple of days at Inverness. From Inverness to Eyemouth we did two longish passage - Inverness - Peterhead and Peterhead - Eyemouth. There were two of us aboard, myself and a friend, and had no serious problems.

The canal isn't really the problem its just the time/distance involved in getting to inverness from the tay (4 days is more realistic for our wee tub) and then having to trek down from fortwilliam through the crinan to loch fyne.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

The canal isn't really the problem its just the time/distance involved in getting to inverness from the tay (4 days is more realistic for our wee tub) and then having to trek down from fortwilliam through the crinan to loch fyne.

Well, Capricious is only 31'. The long distances aren't a problem; it's just a matter of keeping going! For my fin keel the other problem was that there aren't that many harbours on the east coast where there's depth enough for me; that's why we ended up doing the two long passages. We actually took a lot longer - we usually did a long passage then a rest day - the weather helped in that regard, as we did the trip in early April, meaning that a good day was usually followed by a bad one!

 

[Quandary]

This year we reached the top of the Muirtown flight at 16-40, were locked down to the bottom but then asked to wait half an hour on the wall until 18-00 for the peak traffic to clear before going through the bridge to the marina. I know there is traffic priority at both Tomnahurich and Muirtown in both morning and evening rush hours but the lock keepers were advising that the marina was a safer place for the boat overnight, I suspect it depends a bit on who is on duty.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

This year we reached the top of the Muirtown flight at 16-40, were locked down to the bottom but then asked to wait half an hour on the wall until 18-00 for the peak traffic to clear before going through the bridge to the marina. I know there is traffic priority at both Tomnahurich and Muirtown in both morning and evening rush hours but the lock keepers were advising that the marina was a safer place for the boat overnight, I suspect it depends a bit on who is on duty.

Interesting. Our passage was in early April, in fact I think we entered the sea lock at Corpach on the first day it was open after the winter closure, The normal operating hours end at 17.30, so getting the bridge opened after then must have been a generous gesture by the lock and bridge keepers. We arrived at Muirtown sometime between 1530 and 1600 and were told in no uncertain terms that we would have to spend the night there, as they couldn't open the bridge before the canal closed for the night. As it was a filthy day - sleet and wind - we had been looking forward to the joy of having electricity at the marina!

 

[lw395]

Austerity reaches far.

Clearly abject failure of this https://www.scottishcanals.co.uk/co.../Scottish-Canals-Corporate-Plan-2014-2017.pdf

This is the culprits https://www.scottishcanals.co.uk/corporate/about-us/our-structure-and-governance/

Money is tight so leisure projects like the canals should not receive state funding while we have pot holed roads, crap hospitals (in some cases) and the near collapse in social services beyond the minimum statutory requirements (which is a struggle to achieve in its self).

My expectation is that the Canals will become derelict again if tax receipts in the UK fall. It makes better economic sense to provide a carpark at Skye's Fairpools than fix a damaged canal.

Is there any real justification for subsidising canals?

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Is there any real justification for subsidising canals?

Without commercial traffic, they are unlikely to make a profit; I did a long canal journey from the Humber to Yorkshire when I was a boy (early 60s, before the upsurge in canal renovation), and it was evident that the stretches that still carried commercial traffic were in much better order than those that didn't. However, letting them deteriorate is not a good option, either - flooding, environmental degradation and all the rest are likely outcomes. Subsidizing them is probably cheaper than having to make them safe by filling them in and demolishing bridges etc.