From: Falkirk to Kilsyth
Distance: 13m / 20.8km
Cumulated distance: 874m / 1407km
Percentage completed: 73.9
There was more of The John Muir Way today. I have to admit that I hadn’t realised I would be walking quite as much of this coast to coast trail of 134 miles when I first planned my route. I’d really only noticed the canal names on my maps, which the trail shares in part yesterday and today.
John Muir’s beard in its prime
The trail was properly opened on the centenary of Muir’s death in 2014. He really was quite ahead of his time, being an ecological thinker and conservationist as well as being a political spokesman, a mountaineer, a geologist, a naturalist, a glaciologist and the founder of the hugely popular Sierra Club. He also sported a mighty big beard which I suspect could have won competitions for its luxuriousness.
Along the way there were pretty sights including friendly labradors, swans and ducks .. and even deer.
Rufus, the exceptionally friendly black lab ..
.. photogenic swans ..
.. and a twack of (mostly) white ducks.
Watchful roe deer
The John Muir Way piggybacking on The Union Canal
Three miles into our walk we came to Scotland’s second most popular tourist attraction. The Falkirk Wheel. It’s the only rotating boat lift in the world. The wheel is a magnificent, mechanical marvel used to connect the Union Canal with the Forth & Clyde Canal which meet at different elevations. It’s the showpiece of the Millennium Link project, which re-established coast to coast navigation by canal across Scotland.
The Wheel was designed to replace a series of eleven lock gates built in the 19th century – long since demolished and replaced by housing. It basically lifts boats from one level to another, from one canal to another. But it’s not just fiendishly clever in what it does, it’s also a thing of great beauty, supposedly inspired by a Celtic double headed spear, a vast turning propeller of a Clydebank built ship, the ribcage of a whale and the spine of a fish. Take your pick.
Falkirk Wheel from the side
A narrowboat arriving to make the transition from the Union Canal to the Forth and Clyde Canal at the top of the Falkirk Wheel
And the engineering beauty of the whole design lies in its Archmidean simplicity. Before I saw it I was confused about how it could cope with the differing sizes and weights of the boats going from one canal to the other; from one level to the other. But because each scoop is filled with water, the displacement keeps the loads balanced. So clever. And for those interested in these sorts of things .. the Wheel only uses 1.5kWh of energy to turn, the same amount as it would take to boil 8 household kettles. Incredible.
I have no idea how to incorporate videos into this blog but the next few photos should give you an idea of how the Wheel works ..
Turning ..
.. turning
.. turning
.. turning
.. arrived!
We then joined OUR canal, The Forth and Clyde Canal! No sign of Bonny and while there were plenty of walkers and cyclists on the towpath, we saw virtually no boat traffic. Seems our canal is not pulling in the pennies.
The Forth and Clyde Canal
We soon came to the remains of Rough Castle, the site of one of the forts along the Antonine Wall. And here I’ll hand over to Marcus Aurelius Forth for his comments ..
Amazingly, close by The Falkirk Wheel is another “by far the biggest engineering project ever undertaken in the area for their time”, the Antonine Wall, which snaked right across the country from Clyde to Forth. It was undertaken at the order of Imperator Titus Aelius Aurelius Caesar Antoninus (a doozy for The Hat Game). He followed Hadrian as Emperor, and perhaps borrowing from The Hadrian/Trump book of how to run large countries, decided too to build a wall. Given that there was already a perfectly fine wall keeping The Scots out, he re-invaded them and built his own wall further north.
‘It was huge and not only that, the Scots paid for it’ .
Unlike the stone-built Hadrian’s Wall to the south, the rampart of the Antonine Wall was constructed mostly out of layers of turf and reached a height of 3 m. Not just a wall, the defences also included a huge ditch, nearly 5m deep in places. It took 7000 men to build it, and included the ditch, the rampart, an outer mound constructed from the earth thrown out of the ditch, a service road and seventeen forts. The part of the Wall which we visited, The Rough Fort, was manned by auxiliary forces of Nervian Belgians, who along with the Menapii inspired the Asteryx comics.
Beautiful woodland around the Wall
Feeling small ..
Our stop for the night stop was Kilsyth. Not too surprisingly, there was a settlement here in Roman times .. in fact, if you take just a glance at the map where we walked today it’s scattered with ‘forts’ and ‘fortlets’ and ‘Roman settlements’. Kilsyth has a rich and colourful history. However, it is as the birthplace of curling, the ‘roaring game’ that gives the town its place in the sporting arena. The first reference to a contest played in the area, using stones on ice was written about in 1541. And in 1716 the world’s first .. and still surviving .. curling club was founded in Kilsyth. Both Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott referred to the game as “manly Scottish exercise.” Kilsyth men’s and ladies’ curling teams thrive to this day and both have won the British Open in the past. And if I were here on a Monday evening, I know that I would have been welcome to watch a practice at the club, as it’s ladies night. Sadly, it’s Tuesday.
Black Dog Tails
Rip was a very special dog. Although a stray with no training, he had a nose for rescue. In 1940 he found over 100 victims of the air raids in London. It was recognising his huge success that led other dogs to be officially trained as rescue dogs. He was awarded the Dickin Prize as well as the Blue Cross Prize.
I too noticed the lack of use of the Union Canal in relation to the Wheel, and I also overnighted in Kilsyth. I wonder if your non – description of your stay there was a diplomatic ploy to avoid the kind of criticism I made?
“The Falkirk Wheel incorporates various attractions for day visitors and family outings, and I was able to get a burger and tea whilst watching a tripper’s boat being lifted by the wheel. It must have cost a huge amount to construct all this, and as far as I could see The UnionCanal to which it connects is hardly used at all.
I marched on to Kilsyth. This is indeed a sad place. All council houses, shell suits and trainers, boarded up shops, and obviously unemployed people – all very depressing. I booked in at The Coachman, a fifties monstrosity. I was told it would be £40 for b and b, but when I haggled they offered me a “special” rate of £20 – it’s always worth a try! I found out why I had got such a bargain fairly quickly. The window in my room looked out over a flat roof with some kind of air venting ducts which made a constant noise. I couldn’t complain, and with the double glazed window kept closed it was hardly noticeable. I ate in the hotel. I felt it would not have been wise to go out into the town in the evening.”
I loved your description of Kilsyth .. you would have a lot in common with my husband! In actual fact, it was far superior to our experience in Falkirk the night before. Thank you again for sharing.
You were v lucky to see the wheel turn. There was no action at all when we were there, so thank you for the pictures. We thought it an especially beautiful example of a common phenomenon – under-utilised Scottish infrastructure, seemingly mostly funded by Europe. No more to come…
And do you know what John Muir was doing in Yosemite?
I loved it too, Joanne. Just think Mr Muir travelled to as much wilderness country as he could fit in .. x
Hen, im’ naw making myself clear?
Pics of sheep’s dangleberries, bonnie flowers and fancy bridges are pure barry … but you’re in Scotland.
We’ve got to dazzle the sassenachs by showing them pics of kilts and bagpipes or a brace of haggi – these wee, sleekit, cowrin, tim’rous beasties can usually be found grazing at the base of great trees on the shaded lower slopes of braes
… ask that Rebrov Forth to help spy out such Scottish wonders, we hear he got a world record for piping when he was aff his nut, pure skyrocket man in a purple kilt!
Aye, yer a true Scotsman that’s fer sure, Mr Light. Might I be seeing you and your bonny wife on the east side? xx
Dear Jules – more absolutely amazingly beautiful countryside and the Falkirk Wheel – extraordinary! Keep up the good work my friend. Xx
Thank you, Frannie .. you’re a star. xx
So good to think of you and Patrick walking and talking and sharing this experience, and this stage of the experience together Jules. To be at the 3/4 mark of your heroic undertaking must mean many things to you. A large part of your trip behind you, the end getting tantalisingly closer and still the joy in what you’re doing, and the cause you’re supporting.
Hats off to you again dear Jules!
Jo
The days are seeming longer, Jo .. as the feet take the strain. Starting to count the days even though the landscape I travel through is more and more beautiful. x
Well dear Jules and Marcus, Falkirk and Kilsyth. Pity that the Falkirk wheel was built after I lived there, it would have been quite a sight. I did my midwifery training between Falkirk and Stirling, desperate to find a better system than the Australian one. It was in a neonatal unit in Falkirk where I found a paediatrician (then in his 60s) who most likely performed my newborn baby check in Newcastle Upon Tyne all those years ago!
We all had lunch to celebrate Frannie’s birthday on Monday at The Centennial and the girls were keen to hear of your progress – Virginia, Pru and Frannie keep up. We’re all so proud of your enormous undertaking Jules.
MItchell seemes to have had recent contact with Angus, he mentioned him when he was up last week. Congrats to him and his whizz bang job! So great to see the ‘kids’ progressing in their lives.
My Princess (Bridget) is currently in Leighton Buzzard, today they move to a ??15thC house where they will receive food and board for hard yakka restoring the old dame. Bridget studies architecture so hopefully she’ll learn how not to build a house in the modern era. Having said that, quite possibly the old house they’ll be working on is sturdier than those on Northbourne Ave. the govt have decided to demolish! She and her boyfy are huge hikers, I’ll send her the link to your blog and whet their appetite for some outdoor activity.
Nearly there Jules, hope your feet are holding up ok, pretty sure mine wouldn’t! Mwah from ‘getting colder’ Sydney. X
Lesley, how lovely to hear from you and in such a newsy message. Thank you so much .. really helps getting such support, especially as the feet are starting to take the toll of walking so far. x
Great to read about this area and it makes me want to visit it. The walk is a huge effort and very inspiring. Well done so far and good luck for the remainder.
Thank you Fergus .. great to get your message.
Love the hat game reference. Never heard of the Antonine Wall so thank you for that bit of information.
Have you introduced it to Canada, Silvia? Love to think of it travelling far and wide. x
More brilliant photos Jules. Glad to see you nabbed a deer!
Twas my husband who did the nabbing with his zoomy camera. x
hello. we met you at the cafe by the wheel (we were two bikers). An interesting read. Thanks.
We chuckled a lot remembering our conversation with you .. you have a wonderful dry English wit! Many thanks for your message.