Road ~ Ride ~ Barge Holiday 2017
Diary – Part 1
Diary – Part 1
Wednesday August 30
Geri and John were to start the holiday from Wollongong with Ken, Paula, Paul and Beth leaving from Wagga on QF2222 departing at 9.20am. Wagga had a cold -2 degree morning but was putting on a show of 'sunny' weather to wave them good bye - with the fields in a great display of greens. It will be interesting to see the colour of the fields on their return.
The Wagga flight was uneventful with the only 'hiccup' for the trip being the need to purchase train tickets (especially galling as they all have Opal cards, but had left them in Wagga) for the trip from the domestic to the international terminal.
The group from Wagga had no trouble arriving with time to spare and meeting up with Geri and John to begin the long, 24 hour journey to Edinburgh. John had an interesting story to relate in regard to printing the online boarding passes which was then followed up by the fact that the baggage and online early check in line was actually slower than the conventional economy ticket line. It did speed up eventually and we beat the 'cloth cap' man we had set as our target on the longer economy ticket line. Passage through the custom check in area was quicker than normal with the new electronic passport scanners making life much easier.
A nice relaxing lunch was had as we waited for our Etihad flight to board.
Geri and John were to start the holiday from Wollongong with Ken, Paula, Paul and Beth leaving from Wagga on QF2222 departing at 9.20am. Wagga had a cold -2 degree morning but was putting on a show of 'sunny' weather to wave them good bye - with the fields in a great display of greens. It will be interesting to see the colour of the fields on their return.
The Wagga flight was uneventful with the only 'hiccup' for the trip being the need to purchase train tickets (especially galling as they all have Opal cards, but had left them in Wagga) for the trip from the domestic to the international terminal.
The group from Wagga had no trouble arriving with time to spare and meeting up with Geri and John to begin the long, 24 hour journey to Edinburgh. John had an interesting story to relate in regard to printing the online boarding passes which was then followed up by the fact that the baggage and online early check in line was actually slower than the conventional economy ticket line. It did speed up eventually and we beat the 'cloth cap' man we had set as our target on the longer economy ticket line. Passage through the custom check in area was quicker than normal with the new electronic passport scanners making life much easier.
A nice relaxing lunch was had as we waited for our Etihad flight to board.
Thursday August 31
24 hours flying from Sydney to Edinburgh, there are not too many more direct flights that are longer any where in the world! Our first plane the Etihad B777 (Sydney to Abu Dhabi) was a little more cramped for room, you wouldn't want to be a few extra sizes larger than normal adult and try and fit down the aisle walking normally or squeezing into a middle seat! As it was John scored the aisle seat in a three - three seating arrangement for us just to give him a little bit extra room. The plane was three - four - three seating across the main economy class section. 14 hours non-stop - eating, sleeping, watching the EBox entertainment system (in flight journey map was good to keep track of where you were in the world every so often) and some reading. A few wanders around the plane (not too many as the aisle width didn't make it a pleasant walk for you or the other passengers), toilet breaks as well and regular refreshment opportunities made it bearable - but it is still 14 hours in a plane, thankfully little turbulence to cause any major angst.
24 hours flying from Sydney to Edinburgh, there are not too many more direct flights that are longer any where in the world! Our first plane the Etihad B777 (Sydney to Abu Dhabi) was a little more cramped for room, you wouldn't want to be a few extra sizes larger than normal adult and try and fit down the aisle walking normally or squeezing into a middle seat! As it was John scored the aisle seat in a three - three seating arrangement for us just to give him a little bit extra room. The plane was three - four - three seating across the main economy class section. 14 hours non-stop - eating, sleeping, watching the EBox entertainment system (in flight journey map was good to keep track of where you were in the world every so often) and some reading. A few wanders around the plane (not too many as the aisle width didn't make it a pleasant walk for you or the other passengers), toilet breaks as well and regular refreshment opportunities made it bearable - but it is still 14 hours in a plane, thankfully little turbulence to cause any major angst.
Abu Dhabi airport is big - 3 very large terminals (each with at least 60+ gates) with major flights from around the world using the facility continually. We arrived at Terminal 1 and were to depart from Terminal 3, a long walk but helped fill in the 2 hour 50 minute layover. Some 'excitement' whilst waiting - we had to clear the waiting area at our departure gate for a security check to get back into the waiting area!
The 7 hour 50 minute flight to Edinburgh from Abu Dhabi was on a B330 - a two - four - two seating arrangement. We sat two - four and John appreciated the slightly wider aisle.
The flight was the same - eat, sleep, watch the EBox entertainment, go to the toilet, watch the in flight tracking system or the outside camera above the pilot (which was fun to watch when landing and departing). Only real excitement was Ken and Geri's EBox system not working properly on this leg.
The 7 hour 50 minute flight to Edinburgh from Abu Dhabi was on a B330 - a two - four - two seating arrangement. We sat two - four and John appreciated the slightly wider aisle.
The flight was the same - eat, sleep, watch the EBox entertainment, go to the toilet, watch the in flight tracking system or the outside camera above the pilot (which was fun to watch when landing and departing). Only real excitement was Ken and Geri's EBox system not working properly on this leg.
Waiting in Abu Dhabi - catching up on some sleep!
Both John and Paula recommend 'noise cancelling' headphones when on a long haul flight not just for getting a better sound from the EBox entertainment system but in reducing the general travel and plane buzzing noises.
Normally 24 hours give you a new day but in flying from Australia to Europe you actually gain a day, so our next 24 hours in Edinburgh is still Thursday August 31!
We arrived in Edinburgh at around 7.00am - moisture on the ground, it had been raining. The arrival Terminal with Border Control seemed new but it was built as if it was just a converted large farm shed - open ceiling, RJ beams and roof cladding!
It would be a cold place to work in winter. Through Border Control was easier, given a nice Scottish welcome and smile. Collecting our luggage was a wait, it must have been first on, last off!
Normally 24 hours give you a new day but in flying from Australia to Europe you actually gain a day, so our next 24 hours in Edinburgh is still Thursday August 31!
We arrived in Edinburgh at around 7.00am - moisture on the ground, it had been raining. The arrival Terminal with Border Control seemed new but it was built as if it was just a converted large farm shed - open ceiling, RJ beams and roof cladding!
It would be a cold place to work in winter. Through Border Control was easier, given a nice Scottish welcome and smile. Collecting our luggage was a wait, it must have been first on, last off!
This is our view of Edinburgh Castle. We wake to this every day that we are in Edinburgh.
Once organised it was time to find a Telex Money machine, secure some British pounds, find the exit and the Airlink 100 bus into Haymarket. We must have been 'obvious' Australian tourist, the Airlink 100 bus ticket operator picked us as Aussie's straight away! Maybe we where more excited about our holiday than we had realised after the long flight.
We didn't really feel that sorry for the 'off to work' people we collected on the way into Edinburgh from the airport but there was a few as it was 8.30am.
I think most figured us as tourist, we were a little louder than the average bus passenger, we're not Americans so I think by silent agreement we became quieter and just watched Edinburgh open before us. Once at Haymarket we disembarked and started towards our AirBnB accommodation.
We didn't really feel that sorry for the 'off to work' people we collected on the way into Edinburgh from the airport but there was a few as it was 8.30am.
I think most figured us as tourist, we were a little louder than the average bus passenger, we're not Americans so I think by silent agreement we became quieter and just watched Edinburgh open before us. Once at Haymarket we disembarked and started towards our AirBnB accommodation.
Only needed one map reference check and we found 10/3 Grindlay Street - our accommodation for the next three nights. Not overly auspicious surrounds but three bedrooms and adequate other facilities with the location being ideal for our next three days activities.
We left the bags and set off to find Vodafone SIMS for John, Paul and Beth in what was to be a perfect day, weather, sight seeing, coffee and food wise.
The only 'hiccups' for the morning was a couple of SIM problems and Paul leaving his bag in the Vodafone shop!
It was great to be out walking. After getting the SIMS organised we adventured down Princess Street, the main street of Newtown to North Bridge then to the Royal Mile and Old Town.
We left the bags and set off to find Vodafone SIMS for John, Paul and Beth in what was to be a perfect day, weather, sight seeing, coffee and food wise.
The only 'hiccups' for the morning was a couple of SIM problems and Paul leaving his bag in the Vodafone shop!
It was great to be out walking. After getting the SIMS organised we adventured down Princess Street, the main street of Newtown to North Bridge then to the Royal Mile and Old Town.
Enjoying walking the streets of Edinburgh.
The walk along the Royal Mile led us to coffee at Nero's and a chance just to relax. After coffee the walk along the Royal Mile finished at Edinburgh Castle and a chance to look at the area used for the Military Tattoo. We also found out that the seating structure is only up for two months before it is removed and stored until next year when it takes 6 weeks to construct again.
From here the walk took us down to Elephant's Cafe, the site the author KJ Rawlings used to write the Harry Potter books. It was busy so we decided to come back later. Back on the Royal Mile we visited the old Toy Museum, it was a great 'nostalgia' trip down memory lane. We continued down to Holyrood Palace and walked around to look at Arthur's Seat, our walking challenge for tomorrow.
From here the walk took us down to Elephant's Cafe, the site the author KJ Rawlings used to write the Harry Potter books. It was busy so we decided to come back later. Back on the Royal Mile we visited the old Toy Museum, it was a great 'nostalgia' trip down memory lane. We continued down to Holyrood Palace and walked around to look at Arthur's Seat, our walking challenge for tomorrow.
Onto the Royal Mile again we stopped for afternoon tea/lunch at Clarinda Tea Rooms, an excellent choice. Great atmosphere, really quaint decor and the afternoon sun coming through the front window - again a perfect spot to relax.
Everyone really enjoyed their meal, perhaps the fact that it wasn't airline food helped!
From here it was back over North Bridge to the two parks in Prince Street and a leisurely walk through both, again enjoying the sun and the relaxing nature of the venues. We then walked through the old cemetery at St John's taking note of the details on some of the old headstones. From here it was up through Castle Terrace and back to the unit. We sorted rooms, collected luggage and settled in. After showers, which were beautiful and refreshing it was time to decide on a venue for dinner. Spirit of Thia was our choice and it wasn't far from the unit. Our meals were again top quality and it was obvious most of us where ready for a big sleep after we had eaten.
After a quick walk around the block it was back to the unit and off to bed. Finally a chance to sleep for a 'long' time.
Everyone really enjoyed their meal, perhaps the fact that it wasn't airline food helped!
From here it was back over North Bridge to the two parks in Prince Street and a leisurely walk through both, again enjoying the sun and the relaxing nature of the venues. We then walked through the old cemetery at St John's taking note of the details on some of the old headstones. From here it was up through Castle Terrace and back to the unit. We sorted rooms, collected luggage and settled in. After showers, which were beautiful and refreshing it was time to decide on a venue for dinner. Spirit of Thia was our choice and it wasn't far from the unit. Our meals were again top quality and it was obvious most of us where ready for a big sleep after we had eaten.
After a quick walk around the block it was back to the unit and off to bed. Finally a chance to sleep for a 'long' time.
Friday September 1
We had arrived to some beautiful weather and made sure we enjoyed it - stayed awake until just after 10.00pm local time and woke this morning to our normal, 'body clock time' feeling good.
Ready to see what today brings!
Early face time news - Ken and Paula are informed that Nat & Em are engaged!! 💖
We had arrived to some beautiful weather and made sure we enjoyed it - stayed awake until just after 10.00pm local time and woke this morning to our normal, 'body clock time' feeling good.
Ready to see what today brings!
Early face time news - Ken and Paula are informed that Nat & Em are engaged!! 💖
Paula went for an early morning walk whilst the rest of us had a leisurely breakfast.
Once organised as to what we would do for the day we headed off, it was just after 9.00am and the weather was a little overcast so rain jackets went into the backpacks. They weren't to be needed but it was Scotland!
Our first destination was Arthur's Seat, a great uphill grind to get, not only our legs working, but also our heart rates up. The view at the various 'catch your breath' spots were awesome but the views of Edinburgh from the top were spectacular.
We spent a good 30 minutes at the top allowing the clouds to clear to give us another beautiful day.
Back down at the bottom, with a detour to look at the ruined walls of an old abbey, John and Ken headed back to Holyrood Palace while Beth, Paul, Paula and Geri did a tour to look at a pond with swans swimming about.
Once organised as to what we would do for the day we headed off, it was just after 9.00am and the weather was a little overcast so rain jackets went into the backpacks. They weren't to be needed but it was Scotland!
Our first destination was Arthur's Seat, a great uphill grind to get, not only our legs working, but also our heart rates up. The view at the various 'catch your breath' spots were awesome but the views of Edinburgh from the top were spectacular.
We spent a good 30 minutes at the top allowing the clouds to clear to give us another beautiful day.
Back down at the bottom, with a detour to look at the ruined walls of an old abbey, John and Ken headed back to Holyrood Palace while Beth, Paul, Paula and Geri did a tour to look at a pond with swans swimming about.
White swans on the pond.
Lunch was ham (by coincidence Paula had a dream the night before with John asking her how much ham she had to buy!), cheese and bread rolls. Paula opted for strawberries and yogurt.
We had lunch in the East Prince Street Gardens. It was a great spot to sit and eat and watch 'Edinburgh' go by.
We had lunch in the East Prince Street Gardens. It was a great spot to sit and eat and watch 'Edinburgh' go by.
Arthur's seat.
While Ken and Paula went back to the unit, Ken was suffering a 'clothing' malfunction, Geri and John did the Scott Monument stair walk (they said they weren't 'lost' on the stairs, just disorientated) but they did manage to get to the top and back down.
During this time Paul and Beth enjoyed the sunshine and Paul discovered an 'underground' Maccas nearby.
Once on the way again the next stop was Carlton Hill and the various monuments at the top, another good uphill walk.
Nelson's Monument gave us the explanation for the dropping of the black cannonball on the masthead which by coincidence we had witnessed at 1.00pm on North Bridge with the firing of the cannon from Edinburgh Castle. It is all part of the history of timing requirements for the setting of chronometers on ships in Leith Port.
We also discovered why the 'Parthenon', built to commemorate the fallen Scottish sailors and soldiers from the Napoleonic wars wasn't finished, they ran out of money!
After walking back down to Prince Street and along the shopping side of the street we ventured out to Dean Village, another good walk. The village was set alongside a creek which had been the location of 17 water mills in the seventh century.
It was very scenic, calm and cooling. We found the monument to the mineral well, rested then Paul decide on an adventure walk for he and Beth to get back to the unit. The rest of us trudged back up the hill to the unit.
During this time Paul and Beth enjoyed the sunshine and Paul discovered an 'underground' Maccas nearby.
Once on the way again the next stop was Carlton Hill and the various monuments at the top, another good uphill walk.
Nelson's Monument gave us the explanation for the dropping of the black cannonball on the masthead which by coincidence we had witnessed at 1.00pm on North Bridge with the firing of the cannon from Edinburgh Castle. It is all part of the history of timing requirements for the setting of chronometers on ships in Leith Port.
We also discovered why the 'Parthenon', built to commemorate the fallen Scottish sailors and soldiers from the Napoleonic wars wasn't finished, they ran out of money!
After walking back down to Prince Street and along the shopping side of the street we ventured out to Dean Village, another good walk. The village was set alongside a creek which had been the location of 17 water mills in the seventh century.
It was very scenic, calm and cooling. We found the monument to the mineral well, rested then Paul decide on an adventure walk for he and Beth to get back to the unit. The rest of us trudged back up the hill to the unit.
Wandering around Carlton Hill.
We all arrived back at the same time and Ken was a little envious he missed the Police BMW motorcycle procession that Paul and Beth had witnessed on their way back.
Showered and refreshed we headed for dinner at 'Castle Arms' - an old pub just below the Royal Mile. John and Ken had a 'pint' of English beer, albeit in plastic cups as they sat outside for their meals on the terrace.
Showered and refreshed we headed for dinner at 'Castle Arms' - an old pub just below the Royal Mile. John and Ken had a 'pint' of English beer, albeit in plastic cups as they sat outside for their meals on the terrace.
Castle Arms!
The sameness of the building in Edinburgh.
Paul and Beth left a little earlier to collect breakfast supplies whilst Ken and John finished their beers. Back in the unit only Geri and Paula had any energy to play 'Pass the Pigs', the others either caught up on news or e-mails before going to bed.
Lots of walking, great things to see and in beautiful weather - perfect day.
Lots of walking, great things to see and in beautiful weather - perfect day.
Saturday September 2
Slow and steady today - recovery from the 'long walk' excursions yesterday.
We began our day going in different directions, John and Geri were going to do Edinburgh Castle, Ken and Paula were organising the train tickets to Falkirk for tomorrow and working out the best way to get to the station with all our luggage whilst Paul and Beth were going to do a general explore around the unit.
But first we all went to the Castle Terrace Farmers Markets to collect supplies for lunch and dinner as we decided, 'a night in' for a meal might be a good idea.
Once collected and returned to the unit lunch was decided for 1.00pm.
Slow and steady today - recovery from the 'long walk' excursions yesterday.
We began our day going in different directions, John and Geri were going to do Edinburgh Castle, Ken and Paula were organising the train tickets to Falkirk for tomorrow and working out the best way to get to the station with all our luggage whilst Paul and Beth were going to do a general explore around the unit.
But first we all went to the Castle Terrace Farmers Markets to collect supplies for lunch and dinner as we decided, 'a night in' for a meal might be a good idea.
Once collected and returned to the unit lunch was decided for 1.00pm.
Botanic Gardens
Everyone was thankful that the decision to have dinner at the unit, made earlier, was decided as everyone was rather tired and didn't feel like another outing involving walking!
Early to bed for most everyone after our meal of quiche, sausage rolls, cheese and spinach, tomato and strawberry salad.
Early to bed for most everyone after our meal of quiche, sausage rolls, cheese and spinach, tomato and strawberry salad.
Sunday September 3
'Moving on' day today.
Today we travelled to Falkirk for the beginning of our week long Canal boat adventure. Everyone seemed to be up early, breakfast was had and most everything was finished which meant we didn't have too many things left over to be thrown away. The kitchen and bathroom areas were cleaned up at the same time.
We all packed and were ready to vacate the premises and it was still only just after 8.00am - we didn't need to leave to get to Waverley Station until 9.30am!
As Geri hadn't had the chance to visit Grassmarket we decided to go for a last walk under the castle and around to the Old Town area. We gleaned a little bit of history of the Grassmarket in the fact that it was the public execution area in a bygone era of Edinburgh history.
Continuing our walk we ended up on the Royal Mile were we saw the organisation for the beginning of the 'Tour of Britian' eight day bicycle race.
'Moving on' day today.
Today we travelled to Falkirk for the beginning of our week long Canal boat adventure. Everyone seemed to be up early, breakfast was had and most everything was finished which meant we didn't have too many things left over to be thrown away. The kitchen and bathroom areas were cleaned up at the same time.
We all packed and were ready to vacate the premises and it was still only just after 8.00am - we didn't need to leave to get to Waverley Station until 9.30am!
As Geri hadn't had the chance to visit Grassmarket we decided to go for a last walk under the castle and around to the Old Town area. We gleaned a little bit of history of the Grassmarket in the fact that it was the public execution area in a bygone era of Edinburgh history.
Continuing our walk we ended up on the Royal Mile were we saw the organisation for the beginning of the 'Tour of Britian' eight day bicycle race.
John and Geri enjoyed Edinburgh Castle and were thankful they went early as the lineup when they were coming back was very long.
Ken and Paula successfully sourced the tickets and navigated the best route to the station from the unit for tomorrow. They also managed to walk through the Grass Markets area. Paul and Beth found a Nero's Coffee close handy and a few other interesting sights.
Lunch was delicious, there is nothing better on fresh bread than cheese, tomato, spinach, eggs and ham!After lunch Geri, Paula, Beth, Paul and Ken walked to the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens whilst John had a rest. In the time the others were away he managed a Nero's Coffee, a walk to Grass Markets and fixed the TV!
The Botanic Gardens were very interesting and worth the walk. They would be very colourful in the Spring.
Ken and Paula successfully sourced the tickets and navigated the best route to the station from the unit for tomorrow. They also managed to walk through the Grass Markets area. Paul and Beth found a Nero's Coffee close handy and a few other interesting sights.
Lunch was delicious, there is nothing better on fresh bread than cheese, tomato, spinach, eggs and ham!After lunch Geri, Paula, Beth, Paul and Ken walked to the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens whilst John had a rest. In the time the others were away he managed a Nero's Coffee, a walk to Grass Markets and fixed the TV!
The Botanic Gardens were very interesting and worth the walk. They would be very colourful in the Spring.
The Wee Pub.
Just the number of support vehicles, motorbike and car, was astounding let alone the number of riders that would be participating. We thought a view of the race with the backdrop of Edinburgh Castle would be amazing to watch from the air.
We returned to the unit just before 9.30am and left pretty much straight away arriving at the station just after 10.00am giving Ken and John enough time to have a leisurely sit down coffee in Nero's.
We returned to the unit just before 9.30am and left pretty much straight away arriving at the station just after 10.00am giving Ken and John enough time to have a leisurely sit down coffee in Nero's.
The train was on time and not overly crowded and it was a pleasant journey through some interesting Scottish countryside. Linlithgow looks like a great village to look at a little more closely, we might get 'Captain John' to make it an overnight stopping point on the canal journey.
Once in Falkirk we easily found our accommodation and were able to leave our luggage with a very helpful desk clerk.
He gave us instructions on how to get to the Falkirk Wheel by bus and some interesting information about Falkirk, we were definitely surprised that our 'quaint little village' wasn't what we thought, a population of 125,000 isn't exactly quaint!
The pictures and information about the Falkirk Wheel don't do it justice, it is spectacular, an amazing engineering feat, can't wait to physically use it tomorrow!
John and Ken did the boat and bike checks respectively and found everything was ready for tomorrow, and for the extra bikes for next Friday.
We had a much needed and enjoyable lunch and a good look around the Falkirk Wheel location. We watched a number of barges use the Wheel structure, it was a simple cog process but amazing in the sheer size of the operation.
Our bus ride back to the bus depot was indeed different! Paul had purchased all day tickets and we certainly used them, what was a twenty minute journey out was an hour twenty minute journey back - we saw almost all of Falkirk in one bus ride!
Once in Falkirk we easily found our accommodation and were able to leave our luggage with a very helpful desk clerk.
He gave us instructions on how to get to the Falkirk Wheel by bus and some interesting information about Falkirk, we were definitely surprised that our 'quaint little village' wasn't what we thought, a population of 125,000 isn't exactly quaint!
The pictures and information about the Falkirk Wheel don't do it justice, it is spectacular, an amazing engineering feat, can't wait to physically use it tomorrow!
John and Ken did the boat and bike checks respectively and found everything was ready for tomorrow, and for the extra bikes for next Friday.
We had a much needed and enjoyable lunch and a good look around the Falkirk Wheel location. We watched a number of barges use the Wheel structure, it was a simple cog process but amazing in the sheer size of the operation.
Our bus ride back to the bus depot was indeed different! Paul had purchased all day tickets and we certainly used them, what was a twenty minute journey out was an hour twenty minute journey back - we saw almost all of Falkirk in one bus ride!
The Falkirk Wheel in operation.
We all bagged him out - he definitely get's value for money! Had Geri in stitches - she has an infectious laugh.
Accommodation and rooms were quickly sorted and dinner organised for 7.00pm, everyone was then looking to have a rest and a refreshing shower.
A great meal was had by all for dinner - 2 and 3 course meals from £10 and £12.
The inside of Hotel Chadhan is definitely not a reflection of the outside. The inside has been totally refurbished and looks great.
Before we headed off to bed we had an interesting conversation with one of the ladies working in the hotel, she had spent a number of years in Australia.
Accommodation and rooms were quickly sorted and dinner organised for 7.00pm, everyone was then looking to have a rest and a refreshing shower.
A great meal was had by all for dinner - 2 and 3 course meals from £10 and £12.
The inside of Hotel Chadhan is definitely not a reflection of the outside. The inside has been totally refurbished and looks great.
Before we headed off to bed we had an interesting conversation with one of the ladies working in the hotel, she had spent a number of years in Australia.
Monday September 4
The Falkirk Wheel
Had a good hearty breakfast at Hotel Cladhan. Glad we took Maria's advice and came down to eat at 7.00am, by 7.30am the breakfast area was packed. John, Ken and Paul all tried the haggis, not too bad - tasted nice on toast, enough for Ken to have 3 slices of toast!
After breakfast we returned to the rooms to pack ready to head for the bus station. As we had some time to spare we wandered into town, in wet weather gear, as the real Scottish weather had arrived. The boys had a Nero coffee whilst the girls did some 'sightseeing' of the Falkirk shopping areas.
Back at the hotel we settled the room accounts and Ken and Paula left one bag at the hotel as it wouldn't be needed on the canal boat.
We arrived at the bus station about 2 minutes before the bus was to leave for the Falkirk Wheel - good timing as the next bus wasn't leaving until a 1/2 hr later.
The Falkirk Wheel
Had a good hearty breakfast at Hotel Cladhan. Glad we took Maria's advice and came down to eat at 7.00am, by 7.30am the breakfast area was packed. John, Ken and Paul all tried the haggis, not too bad - tasted nice on toast, enough for Ken to have 3 slices of toast!
After breakfast we returned to the rooms to pack ready to head for the bus station. As we had some time to spare we wandered into town, in wet weather gear, as the real Scottish weather had arrived. The boys had a Nero coffee whilst the girls did some 'sightseeing' of the Falkirk shopping areas.
Back at the hotel we settled the room accounts and Ken and Paula left one bag at the hotel as it wouldn't be needed on the canal boat.
We arrived at the bus station about 2 minutes before the bus was to leave for the Falkirk Wheel - good timing as the next bus wasn't leaving until a 1/2 hr later.
Ken eating haggis.
Waiting to use the wheel.
Once at the wheel John and Paul signed all the paperwork for the boat hire and we were given different ideas as to how far we might get each day, the best places to moor overnight and places to get food for meals and eat out if we wanted to. It was made very clear on the need for us to be back at the Wheel area by 4.00pm Thursday afternoon.
After leaving all the main bags in the office area we went back across to the Falkirk centre where Eddie (our bike hire man) found us. He liked the idea of our ride on Friday to Stirling Castle via the Kelpies and asked if he could join us, no problems. He 'measured us up' (just asked us to stand) for the different sizes of bikes we would need and realised we were definitely 'varied' sizes!
John and Ken went with him to collect the 2 bikes for the canal boat cruise and do the necessary paperwork - it was raining properly as they moved the bikes down to wait for the boat to be ready.
Lunch was again had in the Falkirk Centre, reasonable quality considering the nature of the venue.
At 1.30pm we moved down to collect the canal boat, it was still raining. On first impressions of the wide berth boat was that we had made a good decision, modern appearance (like living in a floating caravan) - the width was great, ample room to move past people.
We left the luggage on the two top spare bunks and then had a 'wee talk' from Mr McLoughlin about the procedures for running the boat. His 'wee talk' was very entertaining and long and necessarily detailed as the running of all facilities on the boat was complex. He finished and had us manoeuvring up to the first of three locks we had to navigate on the first part of the trip. This first lock joined the Forth and Clyde canal with the holding pond for the Falkirk Wheel which then lifted us 25 metres to the Union Canal.
The anticipation to enter and use the wheel was almost palatable - you could 'taste', 'smell' and almost 'drink' the excitement in the air.
After leaving all the main bags in the office area we went back across to the Falkirk centre where Eddie (our bike hire man) found us. He liked the idea of our ride on Friday to Stirling Castle via the Kelpies and asked if he could join us, no problems. He 'measured us up' (just asked us to stand) for the different sizes of bikes we would need and realised we were definitely 'varied' sizes!
John and Ken went with him to collect the 2 bikes for the canal boat cruise and do the necessary paperwork - it was raining properly as they moved the bikes down to wait for the boat to be ready.
Lunch was again had in the Falkirk Centre, reasonable quality considering the nature of the venue.
At 1.30pm we moved down to collect the canal boat, it was still raining. On first impressions of the wide berth boat was that we had made a good decision, modern appearance (like living in a floating caravan) - the width was great, ample room to move past people.
We left the luggage on the two top spare bunks and then had a 'wee talk' from Mr McLoughlin about the procedures for running the boat. His 'wee talk' was very entertaining and long and necessarily detailed as the running of all facilities on the boat was complex. He finished and had us manoeuvring up to the first of three locks we had to navigate on the first part of the trip. This first lock joined the Forth and Clyde canal with the holding pond for the Falkirk Wheel which then lifted us 25 metres to the Union Canal.
The anticipation to enter and use the wheel was almost palatable - you could 'taste', 'smell' and almost 'drink' the excitement in the air.
And then it was happening - we were sharing the transport pod with another boat which we would see a couple of times during our 4 days on the canal.
How the Wheel works is obvious but the sheer size and capacity of the operation is still mind boggling. Five minutes and our trip on the Wheel was over!
How the Wheel works is obvious but the sheer size and capacity of the operation is still mind boggling. Five minutes and our trip on the Wheel was over!
Getting ready to leave the wheel.
Our next obstacle, without any assistance was a short narrow tunnel, check for other craft, blow the horn, lights on and go if it was clear.
Around the first corner we had to moor to let the boat that we had shared the Wheel with go first on the next two concurrent locks.
On our turn John had us very efficiently stationed within the lock with Ken and Paul very quickly becoming effective on the mooring ropes to secure the boat within the locks.
After the locks we were officially on the Union Canal. We had decided Canalside moorings would be our overnight stop, with a Tesco open all night to buy supplies and an Inn nearby for dinner.
Before that though we had to navigate a number of bridge passages and the Falkirk Tunnel (under Prospect Hill) 633 metres long and very limited lighting. All were navigated without issue with the long tunnel being spectacular, although a little wet! Both Paul and Ken each had a hand at the tiller and Ken was first to learn the vagaries of barge steering, when he over corrected after a corner and rammed the bank, much to Geri's delight as it 'fixed' the gas problem she was having trying to boil the kettle.
Dinner at the Inn was just ok, it was more fun shopping, 6 adults trying to decide on a common list of food items for a couple of 'boat' meals was entertaining, the 'boys' managed 3 different after dinner treats, chocolate biscuits, chocolate blocks dairy and dark!
Sleeping arrangement were quite comical to begin with, John trying to fit in the bunk bed was a sight! So the final arrangement was John and Geri on the long bed made when the kitchen table became a bed, Beth and Paul on the bunks and Ken and Paula on the short double bed in the main bedroom.
Everyone was in bed before 11.00pm. The Falkirk Wheel experience will be a long lasting memory.
Around the first corner we had to moor to let the boat that we had shared the Wheel with go first on the next two concurrent locks.
On our turn John had us very efficiently stationed within the lock with Ken and Paul very quickly becoming effective on the mooring ropes to secure the boat within the locks.
After the locks we were officially on the Union Canal. We had decided Canalside moorings would be our overnight stop, with a Tesco open all night to buy supplies and an Inn nearby for dinner.
Before that though we had to navigate a number of bridge passages and the Falkirk Tunnel (under Prospect Hill) 633 metres long and very limited lighting. All were navigated without issue with the long tunnel being spectacular, although a little wet! Both Paul and Ken each had a hand at the tiller and Ken was first to learn the vagaries of barge steering, when he over corrected after a corner and rammed the bank, much to Geri's delight as it 'fixed' the gas problem she was having trying to boil the kettle.
Dinner at the Inn was just ok, it was more fun shopping, 6 adults trying to decide on a common list of food items for a couple of 'boat' meals was entertaining, the 'boys' managed 3 different after dinner treats, chocolate biscuits, chocolate blocks dairy and dark!
Sleeping arrangement were quite comical to begin with, John trying to fit in the bunk bed was a sight! So the final arrangement was John and Geri on the long bed made when the kitchen table became a bed, Beth and Paul on the bunks and Ken and Paula on the short double bed in the main bedroom.
Everyone was in bed before 11.00pm. The Falkirk Wheel experience will be a long lasting memory.
Tuesday September 5
First full day canal cruising.
Everyone seems to have slept well, it rained during the night and it was still raining whilst we had breakfast. Part and parcel of the holiday deal, we are after all in Scotland!
Geri and Beth were riding the hire bikes down the towpath today, back to the Falkirk Wheel then returning to Linlithgow. Paula was going to walk to Linlithgow and the three boys were going to navigate a few tricky Bridge passages and the Avon Viaduct.
It rained on and off while we prepared the bikes, set the seat heights, adjusted the brakes and pumped up the tyres. At around 9.30am everyone was ready to head off, just a slight sprinkle of rain.
Paula was to beat everyone into Linlithgow by ages, time enough to get orientated which was a great help in helping the others to decide what to do when they all arrived and negotiated to stay over night.
The Avon Aqueduct was spectacular, it will be interesting to see it from below tomorrow when we stop for a better look.
The boys had two tricky bridge passages with Bridge 52a being the most difficult. They had to 'pole off' twice to successfully negotiate the very tight passage and two curves close to the entrance and exit.
Geri and Beth caught them at the Avon Aqueduct and walked down below to take photos. They weren't to catch the boat again until bridge 45 just before Linlithgow.
At Linlithgow the boat was moored and the water tank refilled. After some discussion and a phone call back to the hire people it was decided to turn the boat, sightsee in Linlithgow and spend the night.
Turning the boat in the turning circle they had was a feat of manoeuvring for John and crew. Paul held the bow line, Ken poled from the stern off the bank, the bottom and the adjacent boats and John controlled the tiller and applied the power. The turn was precision accurate with less than a metre to spare at the maximum point of the turn. All cheers from the watching crowd. After mooring at a point a little further down, lunch was organised then it was into Linlithgow for a coffee and a tour of the ruins of the Linlithgow Palace. It was magnificent, spiral stairways in all four corners, leading to various sections of the palace. One leading to a great overview lookout of the surrounds and the palace footprint. The palace was a least 4 stories in most sections with some areas having levels underground as well.
We visited the downstairs cooking areas, the Great Hall with its own cooking area, the ramparts, sleeping apartments, chapel, anteroom, wine cellars, King and Queen reception rooms as well as areas for guards to stand and protect the castle. These arrowslits areas (or balistraria) were especially noticeable on the spiral stairways and front entrance.
After the palace explore, Paul and Beth took a walk around the palace and the lake, Geri and Paula did the shopping for dinner and breakfast whilst John and Ken had a coffee at Strawberry Cafe.
Dinner was Geri's 'caravan' special - spaghetti bolognese. It was lovely, Ken had second helpings and a glass of white wine. Paula said the next morning that he had snored all night!
Before bed we watched a little of bicycle 'Tour of Britain'. Sleep came easy for almost everyone. (Paula had her worse night since leaving Australia.) No crashes, falling in the water or major catastrophes- the 'Captain' was happy with his crew.
Wednesday September 6
Second full day canal cruising.
We had a slight delay to our start this morning. One of the toilets had become blocked and we couldn't leave until repairs were made. Paul and Beth walked up to the golf course and had a chat with the golf pro, Geri and Paula went shopping for tonight's bangers and mash and other supplies while John and Ken explored another Coffee Shop - Coffee Neuk and found the correct way to make a flat white.
Ken also decided not to tempt fate with the boat's toilet and used the coffee shop one instead.
Everyone was back at the boat at the same time and had a chance to chat with the repairman who was really interested in where we came from.
After he left Ken and Paula took the bikes and headed down the towpath towards Ratho to see something different of the area then to work their way back around the lake in Linlithgow onto the towpath again then to catch the boat around 1.00pm for lunch. Paula took a great photo of a swan and her two 'ugly ducklings' to send back Chelsea and Isabelle. Paul and Beth were going to walk along the towpath toward Falkirk and Geri and John were to work the boat.
Geri was really impressed with herself as she managed to berth the boat 'by herself' - with no real drama! Lunch was ham and salad rolls, lovely and fresh. After lunch we all walked up the towpath and down a short path to look at the Avon Aqueduct from underneath. It is truly a spectacular structure, and it's a marvel that it can carry 30 tonne boats with the ease it does.
But that's the brilliance of the Archimedes principle, the aqueduct only needs to carry the weight of the water - when the boat is on the water it is weightless, it displaces its weight in water.
Once we had finished the walk underneath the aqueduct we walked across the whole structure again marvelling at its construction and totally amazed that the arches are hollow!
Back on the boat, Beth and Paul took the bikes to scout ahead for an overnight mooring position near Brightons. Paula walked again and Geri and Ken stayed with John to help navigate through the very narrow and tricky Bridge 52a.
John did an excellent job, not one scrap on any of the bridges and a special mention for his navigation through Bridge 52a - a 'swish' award!
We moored just past Bridge 54 with everyone back to help secure the boat. John and Ken walked to Tesco before dinner to get a wine, a red tonight.
No TV reception in Brightons so it was fixing iPhones, doing Sudokus, cryptic crosswords, playing solitaire, computer games, catching up on the newspaper news (local papers), talking to the locals as they walk past and making decisions about what to do tomorrow.
Some lovely banter was also had at John and Paul's expense about shower times, it was especially funny as we had spent last night talking about the need to conserve water topped off with our sojourn this morning in having to reverse the boat 200 metres to get to the water tap to fill up with water.
As you can image everyone is now 'on the clock' when they have a shower!
Thursday September 7
Last full day canal cruising.
Full on, day long canal cruising today to get back to the top of the Falkirk Wheel before 4.00pm, with some typical Scottish weather, rain with a few patches of sunshine, squalls and winds then light Scottish mist - periods of cold wind, then no wind at all. Very atmospheric feel to the day.
Breakfast was nice and leisurely with decisions made as to whether people would ride or walk. Walk was the final decision with the bikes being put back on the boat. It turned out to be a wise decision as the weather did change for the worse soon after Paula, Beth and Geri began their walk to Tesco and the organised lunch stop at Greenbank Aqueduct.
John, Paul and Ken braved the weather conditions and kept the boat moving through the various Bridge passages and the Falkirk Tunnel. All three were fully 'decked out' in all available wet weather gear.
The trip through to Greenbank Aqueduct was uneventful except for the length of time and some weeds which tangled the rudder but was quickly cleared using the boat hook before it fouled the propeller.
At the Greenbank Aqueduct the water was in a side inlet with public mooring but it required taking the boat off the main canal. As we had reversed a few times already without incident we believed reversing out wouldn't be an issue and it wasn't. We filled the water tank and had lunch.
Lunch was everything we had left over with the last of the rolls.
After lunch we explored a beautiful wooded area on our way to the Battle of Falkirk monument. The rain had well and truly settled in by this time so it was wet weather gear for everyone for the walk. We later researched the significance of the battles that had occurred here and also found out the difference between castles and palaces.
Everyone stayed on board for the remainder of the trip, down through the three locks and the Falkirk Wheel to the mooring spot for our last night aboard.
We managed the reverse procedure with no problems, although Paul had to duck a few tree branch limbs. Back into the main canal and then across the Greenbank Aqueduct. It was a strange feeling cruising on a boat that goes across and above a road!
At the first two locks we had to moor and wait for two other boats coming up before we were allowed through. Interesting going down the locks and being more aware of the cills - doesn't take as long to go down as you are only waiting for the water to be released from the lock, not pumped into it. We also had to moor and wait for a tourist boat to come up and go back down the Wheel before we were allowed through.
The Falkirk Wheel is truly magnificent - it was just as thrilling to go down as it was to come up, and perhaps more enlightening as we had a chance to talk to Andrew, the Wheel manager, who told us about the mechanics and the design ideas behind the structure. It is a real blend of art and engineering - the concept was a combining of the elegance, grace, beauty and efficiency of whale moving through the water translated to movement of boats through the mechanism of the Wheel. The canal entrance is the whale's spine and the outside curves on the Wheel (which have no mechanical purpose at all) are the dorsal fins.
The mechanics of the Wheel is just as impressive. The wheel has an overall diameter of 35 m and consists of two opposing arms extending 15 m beyond the central axle. The caissons or gondolas always carry a combined weight of 500 tonnes of water and boats, with the gondolas themselves each weighing 50 tonnes. Care is taken to maintain the water levels on each side, thus balancing the weight on each arm. According to Archimedes' principle, floating objects displace their own weight in water, so when the boat enters, the amount of water leaving the caisson weighs exactly the same as the boat. This is achieved by maintaining the water levels on each side to within a difference of 37 mm using a site-wide computer control system comprising water level sensors, automated sluices and pumps. It takes 22.5 kilowatts (30.2 hp) to power ten hydraulic motors, which consume 1.5 kilowatt-hours per half-turn, roughly the same as boiling eight kettles of water.
Each of the two caissons is 6.5 metres wide, and can hold up to four 20-metre-long canal boats. Watertight doors at each end match doors located on the upper structure and lower dock pit. Due to space concerns, where a normal hinged door would dramatically reduce the useful length of the caisson, vertically rising doors are used. The doors are raised from a recess in the base of the caisson and powered by a hydraulic lance when docked. The precision of the mechanism and the operation is only surpassed by the simplicity of the construction. The engineer, Tony Kettle, used his daughter's lego to show the principle of the cogs and the workings to the canal organisers.
Once down the Wheel it was through the last lock onto the Forth and Clyde, past the swing bridge and down to the mooring area just before lock 16.
It was still raining when went looking for a coffee. After a bit of a wander, the girls went back to the boat to prepare dinner, the boys found coffee and cake at Igloo. The best that could be said about the coffee was that it was warm. As we were leaving we spotted a number of worms on the ground, and John said it rained that much today that the Scottish worms were coming out of the asphalt!
Geri reckons that Scottish mothers should have had their sons wearing 'quilts'!
Friday September 8
Falkirk Ride
We were up early preparing the boat for its return to the Falkirk Wheel. When breakfast was finished we packed our luggage after settling on what bike gear we were going to wear, warm and waterproof was the decision by most everyone, although John had a couple of different goes before he finally settled on what he would wear.
The boat was manoeuvred up to the mooring point at the Falkirk Wheel with Paula having another go on the tiller. Everyone pitched in to get the boat ready for the hand back with Geri doing a final inspection, (Geri also did most of the cleaning says Paula)she was happy with our work.
We unloaded the bikes and bags and took them up to the boat reservation office. They were happy to store our gear until we had finished our bike ride. The wind was cool but it wasn't raining. Ken found Eddie and we organised the extra four bikes for our day ride around the Helix Park complex. The weather towards Stirling was looking threatening so we would make a decision to ride there or not after we stopped at the Kelpies. Eddie came with us as he had time to spare in his day and he was great company, having a chat with us all at different stages along the way. Going down the canal to the Helix Hub, the main area of the complex and the site of the Kelpies was a nice gentle glide.
The Kelpies were outstanding- 30 metre high artistic interpretations of two horses heads, one rearing into the sky the other head slightly bowed. The construction was very clever with the heads being made of pieces of aluminium bolted together but with gaps for the wind to move around the structure.
We stayed a while looking at the Kelpies and made the decision not to ride to Stirling Castle because of the weather and also because the hire bikes were a little more difficult to ride than anticipated - 80 kilometres around trip would have been pushing it on them!
Eddie was happy to lead us back to the Falkirk Wheel on the HaRTT track which gave us a different view of parts of Falkirk. We did just over 15kms for the morning ride. We lost John at one stage and believe that before we start the C2C ride we make some rules about what procedures to follow if people want to ride ahead or stop and take photos or sight see. Back at the Wheel we had a toilet and coffee break and the three boys swapped bikes, the next section to Callendar House involved a bit of climbing.
Eddie wasn't exaggerating - the ride out following the canal and retracing our route on the canal boat was interesting, it was noteworthy that our speed on the bikes was much faster than our speed on the Sanderling!
We left the canal towpath just before the Falkirk Tunnel, which had to be built, all 633 metres of it because the land owner of the Callendar Estate, which we believe may have been Lord Livingston wouldn't let them built the canal on his land.
The estate was extensive and mostly downhill on the brakes which meant coming back was going to be a hard grind, which it was, 10 - 14% gradients. Beth and Geri rode the lot, the rest of us had walking sections.
The visit through Callendar House was worth the ride. The house itself is splendid, timbered stairways, beautiful stonework exterior and enormous grounds, enough for one section to have a nine hole Par 3 golf course!
But it was the history on display and the talks from employees within the house that captured our imagination. We could have spent more than the hour and a half we did spend looking around and reading. The information on the Antonine Wall and how it was built was the highlight as was the old, still functioning, 18th century kitchen. It had been used in the filming of the TV series 'Outlander'.
We had vegetable soup and a selection of bread, scones or oatmeal cookies for lunch. Didn't want a heavy meal to carry back up the hill!
Eddie had to leave us just after we arrived at Callendar House so we used John's retrace facility on his Garmen to get back to the Wheel.
The afternoon ride was just over 11kms and we had managed to miss all the wet weather.
After finding Eddie, returning the bikes and saying thank you for his great support we climbed back on the bus to head back into Falkirk saying farewell to the Wheel.
Back at Hotel Cladhan it was long showers for everyone, refresh then down for dinner at 6.30pm. After eating we retired to the lounge area, Paula and Beth did a session on Facebook and the rest of us caught up with e-mails and iPad updates.
It wasn't long before we were all off to bed for a recharging sleep.
First full day canal cruising.
Everyone seems to have slept well, it rained during the night and it was still raining whilst we had breakfast. Part and parcel of the holiday deal, we are after all in Scotland!
Geri and Beth were riding the hire bikes down the towpath today, back to the Falkirk Wheel then returning to Linlithgow. Paula was going to walk to Linlithgow and the three boys were going to navigate a few tricky Bridge passages and the Avon Viaduct.
It rained on and off while we prepared the bikes, set the seat heights, adjusted the brakes and pumped up the tyres. At around 9.30am everyone was ready to head off, just a slight sprinkle of rain.
Paula was to beat everyone into Linlithgow by ages, time enough to get orientated which was a great help in helping the others to decide what to do when they all arrived and negotiated to stay over night.
The Avon Aqueduct was spectacular, it will be interesting to see it from below tomorrow when we stop for a better look.
The boys had two tricky bridge passages with Bridge 52a being the most difficult. They had to 'pole off' twice to successfully negotiate the very tight passage and two curves close to the entrance and exit.
Geri and Beth caught them at the Avon Aqueduct and walked down below to take photos. They weren't to catch the boat again until bridge 45 just before Linlithgow.
At Linlithgow the boat was moored and the water tank refilled. After some discussion and a phone call back to the hire people it was decided to turn the boat, sightsee in Linlithgow and spend the night.
Turning the boat in the turning circle they had was a feat of manoeuvring for John and crew. Paul held the bow line, Ken poled from the stern off the bank, the bottom and the adjacent boats and John controlled the tiller and applied the power. The turn was precision accurate with less than a metre to spare at the maximum point of the turn. All cheers from the watching crowd. After mooring at a point a little further down, lunch was organised then it was into Linlithgow for a coffee and a tour of the ruins of the Linlithgow Palace. It was magnificent, spiral stairways in all four corners, leading to various sections of the palace. One leading to a great overview lookout of the surrounds and the palace footprint. The palace was a least 4 stories in most sections with some areas having levels underground as well.
We visited the downstairs cooking areas, the Great Hall with its own cooking area, the ramparts, sleeping apartments, chapel, anteroom, wine cellars, King and Queen reception rooms as well as areas for guards to stand and protect the castle. These arrowslits areas (or balistraria) were especially noticeable on the spiral stairways and front entrance.
After the palace explore, Paul and Beth took a walk around the palace and the lake, Geri and Paula did the shopping for dinner and breakfast whilst John and Ken had a coffee at Strawberry Cafe.
Dinner was Geri's 'caravan' special - spaghetti bolognese. It was lovely, Ken had second helpings and a glass of white wine. Paula said the next morning that he had snored all night!
Before bed we watched a little of bicycle 'Tour of Britain'. Sleep came easy for almost everyone. (Paula had her worse night since leaving Australia.) No crashes, falling in the water or major catastrophes- the 'Captain' was happy with his crew.
Wednesday September 6
Second full day canal cruising.
We had a slight delay to our start this morning. One of the toilets had become blocked and we couldn't leave until repairs were made. Paul and Beth walked up to the golf course and had a chat with the golf pro, Geri and Paula went shopping for tonight's bangers and mash and other supplies while John and Ken explored another Coffee Shop - Coffee Neuk and found the correct way to make a flat white.
Ken also decided not to tempt fate with the boat's toilet and used the coffee shop one instead.
Everyone was back at the boat at the same time and had a chance to chat with the repairman who was really interested in where we came from.
After he left Ken and Paula took the bikes and headed down the towpath towards Ratho to see something different of the area then to work their way back around the lake in Linlithgow onto the towpath again then to catch the boat around 1.00pm for lunch. Paula took a great photo of a swan and her two 'ugly ducklings' to send back Chelsea and Isabelle. Paul and Beth were going to walk along the towpath toward Falkirk and Geri and John were to work the boat.
Geri was really impressed with herself as she managed to berth the boat 'by herself' - with no real drama! Lunch was ham and salad rolls, lovely and fresh. After lunch we all walked up the towpath and down a short path to look at the Avon Aqueduct from underneath. It is truly a spectacular structure, and it's a marvel that it can carry 30 tonne boats with the ease it does.
But that's the brilliance of the Archimedes principle, the aqueduct only needs to carry the weight of the water - when the boat is on the water it is weightless, it displaces its weight in water.
Once we had finished the walk underneath the aqueduct we walked across the whole structure again marvelling at its construction and totally amazed that the arches are hollow!
Back on the boat, Beth and Paul took the bikes to scout ahead for an overnight mooring position near Brightons. Paula walked again and Geri and Ken stayed with John to help navigate through the very narrow and tricky Bridge 52a.
John did an excellent job, not one scrap on any of the bridges and a special mention for his navigation through Bridge 52a - a 'swish' award!
We moored just past Bridge 54 with everyone back to help secure the boat. John and Ken walked to Tesco before dinner to get a wine, a red tonight.
No TV reception in Brightons so it was fixing iPhones, doing Sudokus, cryptic crosswords, playing solitaire, computer games, catching up on the newspaper news (local papers), talking to the locals as they walk past and making decisions about what to do tomorrow.
Some lovely banter was also had at John and Paul's expense about shower times, it was especially funny as we had spent last night talking about the need to conserve water topped off with our sojourn this morning in having to reverse the boat 200 metres to get to the water tap to fill up with water.
As you can image everyone is now 'on the clock' when they have a shower!
Thursday September 7
Last full day canal cruising.
Full on, day long canal cruising today to get back to the top of the Falkirk Wheel before 4.00pm, with some typical Scottish weather, rain with a few patches of sunshine, squalls and winds then light Scottish mist - periods of cold wind, then no wind at all. Very atmospheric feel to the day.
Breakfast was nice and leisurely with decisions made as to whether people would ride or walk. Walk was the final decision with the bikes being put back on the boat. It turned out to be a wise decision as the weather did change for the worse soon after Paula, Beth and Geri began their walk to Tesco and the organised lunch stop at Greenbank Aqueduct.
John, Paul and Ken braved the weather conditions and kept the boat moving through the various Bridge passages and the Falkirk Tunnel. All three were fully 'decked out' in all available wet weather gear.
The trip through to Greenbank Aqueduct was uneventful except for the length of time and some weeds which tangled the rudder but was quickly cleared using the boat hook before it fouled the propeller.
At the Greenbank Aqueduct the water was in a side inlet with public mooring but it required taking the boat off the main canal. As we had reversed a few times already without incident we believed reversing out wouldn't be an issue and it wasn't. We filled the water tank and had lunch.
Lunch was everything we had left over with the last of the rolls.
After lunch we explored a beautiful wooded area on our way to the Battle of Falkirk monument. The rain had well and truly settled in by this time so it was wet weather gear for everyone for the walk. We later researched the significance of the battles that had occurred here and also found out the difference between castles and palaces.
Everyone stayed on board for the remainder of the trip, down through the three locks and the Falkirk Wheel to the mooring spot for our last night aboard.
We managed the reverse procedure with no problems, although Paul had to duck a few tree branch limbs. Back into the main canal and then across the Greenbank Aqueduct. It was a strange feeling cruising on a boat that goes across and above a road!
At the first two locks we had to moor and wait for two other boats coming up before we were allowed through. Interesting going down the locks and being more aware of the cills - doesn't take as long to go down as you are only waiting for the water to be released from the lock, not pumped into it. We also had to moor and wait for a tourist boat to come up and go back down the Wheel before we were allowed through.
The Falkirk Wheel is truly magnificent - it was just as thrilling to go down as it was to come up, and perhaps more enlightening as we had a chance to talk to Andrew, the Wheel manager, who told us about the mechanics and the design ideas behind the structure. It is a real blend of art and engineering - the concept was a combining of the elegance, grace, beauty and efficiency of whale moving through the water translated to movement of boats through the mechanism of the Wheel. The canal entrance is the whale's spine and the outside curves on the Wheel (which have no mechanical purpose at all) are the dorsal fins.
The mechanics of the Wheel is just as impressive. The wheel has an overall diameter of 35 m and consists of two opposing arms extending 15 m beyond the central axle. The caissons or gondolas always carry a combined weight of 500 tonnes of water and boats, with the gondolas themselves each weighing 50 tonnes. Care is taken to maintain the water levels on each side, thus balancing the weight on each arm. According to Archimedes' principle, floating objects displace their own weight in water, so when the boat enters, the amount of water leaving the caisson weighs exactly the same as the boat. This is achieved by maintaining the water levels on each side to within a difference of 37 mm using a site-wide computer control system comprising water level sensors, automated sluices and pumps. It takes 22.5 kilowatts (30.2 hp) to power ten hydraulic motors, which consume 1.5 kilowatt-hours per half-turn, roughly the same as boiling eight kettles of water.
Each of the two caissons is 6.5 metres wide, and can hold up to four 20-metre-long canal boats. Watertight doors at each end match doors located on the upper structure and lower dock pit. Due to space concerns, where a normal hinged door would dramatically reduce the useful length of the caisson, vertically rising doors are used. The doors are raised from a recess in the base of the caisson and powered by a hydraulic lance when docked. The precision of the mechanism and the operation is only surpassed by the simplicity of the construction. The engineer, Tony Kettle, used his daughter's lego to show the principle of the cogs and the workings to the canal organisers.
Once down the Wheel it was through the last lock onto the Forth and Clyde, past the swing bridge and down to the mooring area just before lock 16.
It was still raining when went looking for a coffee. After a bit of a wander, the girls went back to the boat to prepare dinner, the boys found coffee and cake at Igloo. The best that could be said about the coffee was that it was warm. As we were leaving we spotted a number of worms on the ground, and John said it rained that much today that the Scottish worms were coming out of the asphalt!
Geri reckons that Scottish mothers should have had their sons wearing 'quilts'!
Friday September 8
Falkirk Ride
We were up early preparing the boat for its return to the Falkirk Wheel. When breakfast was finished we packed our luggage after settling on what bike gear we were going to wear, warm and waterproof was the decision by most everyone, although John had a couple of different goes before he finally settled on what he would wear.
The boat was manoeuvred up to the mooring point at the Falkirk Wheel with Paula having another go on the tiller. Everyone pitched in to get the boat ready for the hand back with Geri doing a final inspection, (Geri also did most of the cleaning says Paula)she was happy with our work.
We unloaded the bikes and bags and took them up to the boat reservation office. They were happy to store our gear until we had finished our bike ride. The wind was cool but it wasn't raining. Ken found Eddie and we organised the extra four bikes for our day ride around the Helix Park complex. The weather towards Stirling was looking threatening so we would make a decision to ride there or not after we stopped at the Kelpies. Eddie came with us as he had time to spare in his day and he was great company, having a chat with us all at different stages along the way. Going down the canal to the Helix Hub, the main area of the complex and the site of the Kelpies was a nice gentle glide.
The Kelpies were outstanding- 30 metre high artistic interpretations of two horses heads, one rearing into the sky the other head slightly bowed. The construction was very clever with the heads being made of pieces of aluminium bolted together but with gaps for the wind to move around the structure.
We stayed a while looking at the Kelpies and made the decision not to ride to Stirling Castle because of the weather and also because the hire bikes were a little more difficult to ride than anticipated - 80 kilometres around trip would have been pushing it on them!
Eddie was happy to lead us back to the Falkirk Wheel on the HaRTT track which gave us a different view of parts of Falkirk. We did just over 15kms for the morning ride. We lost John at one stage and believe that before we start the C2C ride we make some rules about what procedures to follow if people want to ride ahead or stop and take photos or sight see. Back at the Wheel we had a toilet and coffee break and the three boys swapped bikes, the next section to Callendar House involved a bit of climbing.
Eddie wasn't exaggerating - the ride out following the canal and retracing our route on the canal boat was interesting, it was noteworthy that our speed on the bikes was much faster than our speed on the Sanderling!
We left the canal towpath just before the Falkirk Tunnel, which had to be built, all 633 metres of it because the land owner of the Callendar Estate, which we believe may have been Lord Livingston wouldn't let them built the canal on his land.
The estate was extensive and mostly downhill on the brakes which meant coming back was going to be a hard grind, which it was, 10 - 14% gradients. Beth and Geri rode the lot, the rest of us had walking sections.
The visit through Callendar House was worth the ride. The house itself is splendid, timbered stairways, beautiful stonework exterior and enormous grounds, enough for one section to have a nine hole Par 3 golf course!
But it was the history on display and the talks from employees within the house that captured our imagination. We could have spent more than the hour and a half we did spend looking around and reading. The information on the Antonine Wall and how it was built was the highlight as was the old, still functioning, 18th century kitchen. It had been used in the filming of the TV series 'Outlander'.
We had vegetable soup and a selection of bread, scones or oatmeal cookies for lunch. Didn't want a heavy meal to carry back up the hill!
Eddie had to leave us just after we arrived at Callendar House so we used John's retrace facility on his Garmen to get back to the Wheel.
The afternoon ride was just over 11kms and we had managed to miss all the wet weather.
After finding Eddie, returning the bikes and saying thank you for his great support we climbed back on the bus to head back into Falkirk saying farewell to the Wheel.
Back at Hotel Cladhan it was long showers for everyone, refresh then down for dinner at 6.30pm. After eating we retired to the lounge area, Paula and Beth did a session on Facebook and the rest of us caught up with e-mails and iPad updates.
It wasn't long before we were all off to bed for a recharging sleep.