Falkirk to Milngavie

[Alba Bhoy]

Falkirk to Milngavie, Saturday 8th June 2013 OS Landranger Map 64 and 65
Start Falkirk High Railway station 0855, finish Milngavie Railway Station 1620, Time 7 hours 25 minutes and about 24.5 miles.
This was a long day under blue skies in what was possibly the warmest day of the year. And very enjoyable for all that.
Exited Falkirk High station and headed West along the Union canal towards the Falkirk wheel. Nice easy going following the towpath beside the canal. At 0930, about 35 minutes and just over 2 miles after getting off the train, I arrived at the end of the Union canal.
The Union Canal finishes and heads towards the Falkirk wheel via the 180m long Roughcastle Tunnel.
There’s a good path through the tunnel for walkers. You emerge from the tunnel looking north along the top of the wheel with the Ochil Hills in the distance.

View of Falkirk Wheel as you exit Roughcastle tunnel

From here you can’t really see the full majesty of the wheel; it’s only when you drop down towards the visitor centre and the Forth and Clyde canal basin that you beging to fully appeciate the magnitude of the wheel. Is the wheel, engineering impersonating art or art impersonating engineering?

Falkirk Wheel - Engineering impersonating art or art impersonating engineering?

The Wheel is magnificent. I don’t know how often it’s used but it is a fantastic piece of engineering; absolutely eye catching. Once locks connected the Union Canal to the Forth and Clyde Canal, now the wheel connects the two canals.

Falkirk wheel viewed from Forth & Clyde canal

Stopped at the wheel for 20 minutes to take photos and get changed into my shorts and t-shirt as the day was warming up nicely. Had planned to stop for a coffee but the visitor centre, cafe etc didn’t open till 1000 but thankfully some of the toilets were open.

Falkirk Wheel in operation

Left the wheel at 0955 and started my long walk west along the Forth and Clyde Canal. Like the Union canal this also had an excellent towpath for walking on.

Heading West along the Forth & Clyde canal

Despite the beautiful weather there were not too many people on the path; a few cyclists, some joggers and a couple of other walkers.
One thing you notice almost instantly is that the Forth and Clyde canal is way wider than the Union canal. Guess it must have been busier in previous times?
By 1100 I was walking underneath the M80 motorway near Banknock. At this point you have left OS map 65 and progressed onto OS map 64. Not that you need the OS maps for navigating; the canals from Edinburgh, to where I left them a couple of miles west of Kirkintilloch, can be walked without recourse to the OS map. Just follow the towpath and you can’t go wrong.

Regular signposts let you know where you are

Given that the Forth and Clyde canal goes through central Scotland, the heartland of the Industrial Revolution here back in the C 18th, it’s actually very peaceful, very green and quite tranquil. You hear the occasional train on nearby lines but otherwise it’s all pretty quiet and calm.

Flower Power beside the canal

I arrived at the marina at Auchinstarry about 1215. Lots of boats berthed here.

Marina at Auchinstarry Basin

If I was doing the Edinburgh Milngavie stretch again i’d come off the canal here, walk to Croy and take the train from there back to Edinburgh. I’d split Edinburgh Milngavie into 3 reasonably equal stages: Edinburgh to Linlithgow; Linlithgow to Auchinstarry and Auchinstarry to Milngavie.
However, given my mishap with the trains which meant I walked Falkirk back to Linlithgow instead of Linlithgow to Auchinstarry on Saturday 1st june 2013, there was no choice but to keep going west.

Campsie Fells viewed from the canal

I arrived at Kirkintilloch town centre about 1340. Didn’t bother stopping here though, with hindsight, I wish I’d gone off the canal for a minute or two to get some water, coke or other non alcoholic drinks. Yes, it was that warm!
Kirkintilloch is a fairly large town to the north of Glasgow but you don’t see too much of it from the canal. Most of the town seems to lie to the south of the canal.
Continuing west along the canal from Kirkintilloch I soon arrived at the point where the canal goes underneath the A807 road. Decision time; should I stay on the canal to Cadder and follow the route through Cadder golf course and the fields to Balmore or exit the canal here and follow the A807 road to Balmore via Torrance.
Cameron McNeish in his book, Scotland End to End, mentioned that the bridge over the River Kelvin was locked. That meant he had to return to the road. I had looked at this on Google maps and wasn’t sure if the bridge was open. Rather than risk it, I decided to exit the canal here and follow the pavement along the A807 for the 10 minutes or so to Torrance.
Stopped at one of the bars in Torrance to get my water bottle filled up and enjoy a coke to offset the dehydration caused by the unforging Scottish Sun!
Then it was another 10 minutes or so on the pavement alongside the A807 from Torrance to Balmore. As you enter Balmore a prominent road sign says, Golf Course Road, and points you up the hill, Turn right off the A 807 and follow this road, up the hill, through the village and eventually you will arrive at the golf course club house.
To the left of the club house is a track. Follow this track through Balmore golf course.

Track goes through Balmore golf course

Eventually you will arrive at at the 13th tee. Looking down the fairway towards the 13th green, you will see a group of trees with a bench in front of them Walk down the right hand side of the 13th fairway towards this bench. The bench overlooks the 13th green and the 14th tee. Walk to the edge of the trees (14th tee on your left) and you will see a path running to the right away from the golf course.
Follow this path and in a few minutes you will arrive at a small primary school.
You walk by the school (school on your right) and join the road here. Turn left and walk along the road. Soon you arrive at a fork in the road, turn right. Follow this and at the next junction turn right again. This takes you to Baldernock church and war memorial. Nice views from here looking south towards Glasgow.

View south towards Glasgow as you approach Milngavie

Turn left here and walk down this road and you soon take a right. Should be an old sign at this junction saying, ‘Milngavie.’ Follow this road, over a small ford, all the way to Milngavie.
This road soon takes you into Milngavie. Once you enter Milngavie, you soon arrive at a crossroads. Go straight on at the crossroads and Milngavie railway station is next on your left.
In the car park at the station is an information board and signpost for the West Highland Way.

24 miles and 7.5 hours after starting I reach The West Highland Way sign at Milngavie railway station

Regular trains run from Milngavie to Glasgow city centre.

[honey_munster]

The new Cawder footbridge across the Kelvin near Balmore has been open since end Feb 2013.

I think my preference for an off-road route for this section would be the footpath along the line of the old Strathkelvin railway from Kirkintilloch via Lennoxtown to Strathblane and then the pipe road to the Glengoyne distillery to join the WHW.