Falkirk to Edinburgh Canal Boating (20x timelapse)

Timelapse video of our entire canal boat trip from Falkirk to Edinburgh and back, including rides on the Falkirk Wheel. Sorry about the butt-shots...I occasionally forgot about the GoPro and stood in front of it.
Some information for anyone thinking of doing the same trip:
* We did the "Edinburgh & Return From Falkirk Canal" trip with ABC Boat Hire (www.abcboathire.com/our-route...)
* Check out the Boater's Handbook ahead of your trip (canalrivertrust.org.uk/media/... and canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-...)
Highlights:
00:00:00 - Heading to the first lock at the base of the Falkirk Wheel
00:01:09 - Up the wheel.
00:03:45 - Up the locks.
00:06:29 - Through a tunnel (bonus kayakers after the tunnel).
00:09:08 - Stopping for groceries.
00:12:57 - First night parking (bonus feeding ducks/geese).
00:13:56 - Aqueduct.
00:15:57 - Bridge with more kayakers.
00:16:36 - Tying up in Linlithgow to get water and feed the ducks (also a great place to get a beer).
00:18:01 - If you get out early on your first day and are willing to go into dusk, you can probably make it to this mooring in Linlithgow for the night. But it's a trudge, which is probably why that first night parking cove exists.
00:19:55 - Canal bistro (The Park Bistro www.theparkbistro.co.uk). We didn't stop. It's on the left.
00:21:25 - Passing another boat coming the opposite direction. Because people have asked. There's plenty of room in most parts.
00:23:44 - Surreal trees, a bridge, clouds mirrored in the canal.
00:24:55 - An example of mooring to the bank in an unofficial spot, using the plank and stakes (Winchburgh--also a good place for a beer, but everyone at the bar will noticeably notice that "y'aint from 'round here"...or however the Scottish spell that).
00:28:16 - Passing a canal dredger (mildly interesting, if you're into that).
00:29:39 - Aqueduct and overnight mooring point.
00:31:41 - Creepy "Santa's Castle on an Island". We were horrified and intrigued enough to actually stop, back up and circle around the island.
00:32:37 - I jump out and walk along the towpath. It's such an amazing resource. You can easily hop off, walk, and hop back on at any bridge where the canal necks down.
00:33:43 - I hop back on and then we have to wait for the old people's tea boat to turn around.
00:37:52 - Aqueduct over a freeway. Juxtaposition. (see • Piloting a canal boat ... for another view of the crossing).
00:39:14 - Starting to get urban as we head into Edinburgh.
00:40:55 - Aqueduct.
00:42:35 - Tying up for water near the Edinburgh Canal Society.
00:45:11 - Ending in Edinburgh, with lift-bridge. You call ahead to get them to lift it for you.
00:45:25 - Tying up for the evening in Edinburgh.
00:45:49 - Turning around in Edinburgh (after a day or so of beers, notice we bounce a bit as we turn around) to head home.
00:46:20 - Stopping for water and waiting for the lift-bridge to leave Edinburgh.
00:50:01 - Oops! This is what happens when there's not enough room for boats to pass. We needed to back up and wait. What you can't tell from this silent timelapse is that, according with British Waterways rules (srsly, read the handbook before you go, it's simple stuff), we sound the horn at each bridge. Oncoming boats do the same, which is why we knew they were there.
01:00:41 - Stopping in Port Buchan, Broxburn to get attacked by swans while we try to get water (the boat hire will probably warn you not to stop here overnight because impish vandals will throw rocks at your boat).
01:10:14 - Getting water in Linlithgow (yeah, we bumped into that guy's boat. Oops).
01:10:59 - Don obsessively rocking as we refill our water in Linlithgow.
01:16:03 - "WTF? Is that a boat sideways across the canal?" A couple got stoned out of their gourds and got their boat stuck across the canal. I hopped out and un-stuck it for them. The woman tried to keep going and got a short ways but, in her shouted words, she "cannae doo it", so I mooored them on the bank and we continued past them without further ado. For all I know, they might still be there. After helping them, I walked down the tow path to the next bridge.
01:17:20 - At the next bridge, I got back on our boat.
01:22:41 - Back through the tunnel.
01:24:20 - Waiting for a boat to pass on our way down. The wind blew us into the bank and it took some effort to get going again.
01:25:31 - Tying up to wait our turn for the lock.
01:26:00 - Down the lock.
01:26:50 - Tying up to wait our turn for the wheel.
01:27:39 - Tour boat that just came up the wheel appears and turns around. We follow it through the tunnel to the wheel.
01:28:16 - Down the wheel.
01:29:05 - Off the wheel and down the lock.
01:30:20 - Turning around near the Union Inn.
01:31:15 - Tying up to spend our last night on the canal before returning the boat the next morning.

[@lynnedwards7462]

Thank you. I love getting onto Antonine or Archimedes and going up the Falkirk Wheel and to the South Basin but then we turn and go back through the Roughcastle Tunnel and back down again. I always wondered what was through the double stair lock and beyond. You have shown me. Good fun watching canoeists, ducks, cyclists, etc at 20x! A holiday in an evening with amusement thrown in. Thank you again.

[@dvidclapperton]

Swans as well.

[@judyhazelgrove5779]

Thank you for this video. Going to do this next year and its great to see what to expecr,

[@jerryryle]

Awesome! It was so much fun. If you haven't done it before, note that the boats are not difficult to pilot, but reading the Boater's Handbook really helps: canalrivertrust.org.uk/media/library/141.pdf Also see this site for more info: canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/boating/a-guide-to-boating/boaters-handbook

[@mikerobson1786]

Jerry, thanks for that. I wanted to know what the Falkirk to Edinburgh stretch was like, now I know, looks like a nice section of canal to me.

[@WeeWyllie]

From Canada, I have done many narrowboat trips over the years, and am thinking of trying out the Falkirk Canal in Fall 2021 (if conditions allow). Thanks for this wonderful video.

[@dihoh2922]

good luck if you try it.

[@andybaker8129]

This is awesome. We are thinking of doing this trip later in the year

[@megselv87]

Thank you for this. Doing the same route soon. Cant wait. Looks amazing. Any tips? Mooring, sights, pubs, restaurants?

[@jerryryle]

I replied to your other comment about the overnight stops. As for sights/pubs/restaurants, it's been a number of years and I only vaguely remember all the places we visited. One that stands out was the Tally Ho in Winchburgh (00:24:55): g.page/BarTallyHo?share I think it was mostly memorable because it wasn't the most touristy town so we got some (friendly) looks at the pub since we were obviously not from the area. I remember enjoying the pub because it was pretty low-key. Other than that, I recall Linlithgow (goo.gl/maps/FV7AjFFJrnzphMteA) being a pretty little town with a number of restaurants and pubs. We checked out the Linlithgow Palace (goo.gl/maps/cH7EVodipzUAKAuj9), which was an interesting piece of history in a beautiful area. And, of course, Edinburgh has plenty to offer. :) Have an amazing time!

[@handal0]

Awesome job, although I always wondered how the the lift to aquaduct seal worked...but ya did apologise for the butt shots ;P

[@keithsmith5251]

Hi. Great information video. We thinking of doing the exact holiday this year. Which boat hire company did you use please ? Thanks keith

[@ronelitzur856]

into my bucket list a.s.a.p

[@dvidclapperton]

Will they ever operate a standard passenger boat service from Falkirk Wheel to Edinburgh or Glasgow in the manner of tne service bus and service train?

[@18robsmith]

Sadly I doubt it as the journey by boat to Edinburgh or Glasgow takes something in the region of 8 to 10 hours one way 😞

[@megselv87]

Where did you overnight. I see the first stop just before avon aqueduct. Second night in linliithgow? And the other nights?

[@jerryryle]

Let's see. It's been a few years. First, I recall the ABC Boat Hire people being really helpful in pointing out places to fill up with water and/or overnight, depending upon how ambitious you are. They know the route really well and have helped a lot of visitors, so they're a great resource. Second, note that you _can_ pull over and moor on the side of the canal almost anywhere. You'll have stakes and rope to tie up to the bank. This reduces the pressure to get to official overnight spots. Refilling your water tank might be your biggest limiting factor that drives stops at specific points. I like to take showers and cook/clean, so we stopped for water at least once each day. But there are quite a few places to do so and we never came close to running out. Our first overnight was through a tiny entrance on the right that's really easy to miss, so I'd recommend watching that section of the video a few times (00:12:57). It's right before the aqueduct in this little cove next to a bistro. I don't think the bistro was open when we were traveling, so we didn't try it. Here's the location on Google Maps: goo.gl/maps/6wCA7619ZXNBykth9 Our second overnight (00:29:39) was right after the Almond Aqueduct at this Union Canal Car Park here: goo.gl/maps/LvywMiba3gFFNP7Y8 I believe we made it all the way to Edinburgh by our third evening and we spent the night there (00:45:25). After the Leamington Lift Bridge, there's a long strip of mooring spots leading up to the Lochrin Basin. From here, you can walk into town and enjoy Edinburgh: goo.gl/maps/hq6wVd9hrixJAax19 On the way back, I believe we made it all the way to Linlithgow for the first overnight (01:10:14). goo.gl/maps/S6KhbgnEDkaRcDhQ7 The next day, we made it all the way back down to the boat hire pickup point on the Forth and Clyde Canal. The boat hire was closed by the time we got there, so we spent the last night on the canal and returned the boat the next morning (01:31:15). goo.gl/maps/tskamsCcF59URruv9

[@AngelaDuchesnault]

@@jerryryle so yours was a 5 night trip? We are doing 4 nights in july. I am hoping to have an overnight and close to a full day in Edinburgh as it is the only time we'll have there on our entire 2 week Scotland trip. but i don't know how we'll make it back to Falkirk by 930am on Day 5.

[@jerryryle]

@@AngelaDuchesnault it was a 7-night trip. I just found the old reservation email and the trip was 23/08/2014 through 30/08/2014. We actually did the 4 night trip in 2013 and did not make it all the way to Edinburgh. We had so much fun that we went back and did the 7-night trip the following year. You might be able to get there and back in 4 nights with very long days of boating, but that sounds a bit grueling and I don’t think you’ll be able to spend much time in Edinburgh. If you want to spend time in Edinburgh, I really recommend the 7 night trip.

[@AngelaDuchesnault]

Darn! Well at this point I guess we'll just have to skip Edinburgh and come back another year. 😿. Thanks for responding so quickly!

[@jerryryle]

@@AngelaDuchesnault You bet! And sorry, it would appear my timeline was incorrect in the original message you replied to. That message does make it sound like it only took 5 nights, but it was definitely a 7-night trip. I must have been mistaken on how far we made it each day & there were probably 2 extra overnights I missed. Have a wonderful time! If you have as much fun as we did, you'll be back the following year. : )

[@Franz-X-Bauer]

Toller Zeitraffer-Film - sensationelle Landschaft und - Bauwerke - allerdings könnte ich mir vorstellen, daß man es auf dieser Tour mit Millijarden Stechmücken zu tun hat.

[@jerryryle]

Ich stimme zu, dass dies wahrscheinlich erscheint, aber An Mücken kann ich mich überhaupt nicht erinnern.

[@Franz-X-Bauer]

@@jerryryle umso besser. Welche Länge hat dieses Kanal-Netz ?

[@jerryryle]

@@Franz-X-Bauer Gute Frage. Wir sind über den Union Canal von Falkirk nach Edinburgh gefahren. Wikipedia sagt, es sind 50 km: de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Canal_(Schottland) Wir haben "ABC Boat Hire" gemietet und sind auf diese Reise gegangen (wir sind nur von Falkirk nach Edinburgh gefahren, wir sind nicht nach Glasgow gefahren): www.abcboathire.com/our-routes/featured-routes/falkirk/edinburgh-and-glasgow Weitere Informationen zum Gebiet Falkirk: www.abcboathire.com/our-locations/falkirk

[@nickb2966]

Interesting idea of travel by water. That is a lot of infrastructures. Isn't faster and cheaper in a wheeled vehicle? I assume this was a motor boat, around 0:30 where 2 human powered boats were faster?

[@ronelitzur856]

@@jerryryle good thing they didn't change that. this kind of laid back, unhurried mode of travel brings back the slower deliberate and contemplative pace of life that is so missing in our life these days. make the traditional trounce modern living to preserve our sanity.

[@dvidclapperton]

Pass Tesco's along the way.

[@jerryryle]

Yup. Right here is where we tie up to run to Tesco for groceries: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kGjRZpiViLuJf7M

[@tomdunn1254]

From your video it would appear as if the canal is overgrown and badly maintained. Very little good mooring spots?

[@jerryryle]

I don’t have much basis for comparison, but it seemed reasonably maintained. There were various official mooring spots along the way, some of which had water/fuel. Each of our overnight stops was spent at one of these. But the boat also came with stakes that could be driven into the ground along the side of the canal for mooring anywhere the canal was wide enough.

[@tomdunn1254]

@@jerryryle Thank you.

[@takashinakamura8998]

It takes 1:31:31 x 20 = 1d 6:30:20 R/T or it isn't actually 20x timelapse?

[@takashinakamura8998]

@@jerryryle Got it. Thanks!

[@main8451]

Love the video but cant help but say that falkirk and the wheel are the most boring things in this contry.