DOWN THE WHEEL WE GO!

 REDDING TO FALKIRK: 

                                         In the locks

It was a windy and rainy last night and we are up and the kettle is on. Weather report is for morning rain with it stopping about 0900. 

Our booking for the Falkirk Wheel is 1300-1400 so we have a good bit of time to get there. Plan on setting sail at 0900. 

 

I believe we will need to moor up and wait after we exit the Falkirk Tunnel. 

We will navigate locks 1 & 2 to get to the wheel. After the wheel we will try to overnight in the Falkirk Basin. Then tomorrow lock down to the Forth and Clyde to moor up at the Black Prince Base. Well that’s the plan. 

 



Along the canals in this area one finds The Antonine Wall. It was was built from AD142 to 144 and ran for 37 miles.  Like the better known Hadrian's Wall to the south, it formed a solid barrier right across the country. A clear symbol of Roman power and authority, the wall probably served to control the movement of people and goods between the Roman-controlled area to the south and the lands to the north.

The wall was in use for around 20 years. The relatively short period of occupation and the materials used in its construction mean that it has survived less well than Hadrian's Wall, but in its day it would have been just as formidable a barrier.  Sections can still be seen to this day. 

We cast off at about 0900 and made it to the Falkirk Tunnel a bit after 0942. I took us about 15 minutes to transit the tunnel. We proceeded through the wet drippy Falkirk Tunnel and sailed on to Locks 1&2, the first place we could find a mooring to wait our transit.

 

At about 1100 I called the Basin Master to advise of our early arrival. I told him we were in no hurry and willing to await our allotted time. No worries a lock crew will be there in 30 minutes and we can get you on your way. The lock crew arrived in 15 minutes and soon we were in the locks descending. 

After lock 1, we had a 5 min wait for a tour boat with which we would share the Wheel Caisson.

 When they arrived, we followed them through the Bridge Castle Tunnel  and onto the wheel. 

We became part of Q&A session for the people on the tourist boat. Quite fun. 

 

                                        In the Locks

                                   Leaving the locks

                                    The Tourist Boat

                              In the Rough Castle Tunnel

                          In the caisson with the tour boat 

People like watching the Holiday Boats in the lock to the Forth and Clyde
 

 



We are moored here in the basin for the night and completed the evening maintenance chores. In today's weed hatch clean out we found a very nice sturdy shopping bag just a little worse for the wear. 



For this evening we will be moored in the basin and will move tomorrow to the Black Prince moorings. 



A quick sandwich for lunch and then off to explore the Falkirk Basin. 

We spent a bit of time watching other boats using the Falkirk wheel. There seemed to be a steady stream of folks riding the tour boats. 

There is a nice cafe and gift shop. We got a key chain for our trip Christmas ornament. 



To leave the Falkirk Basin one must descend one lock and this is quite the attraction. We will use it tomorrow to get the Lyra to the holiday boat mooring. 



We topped up our water and will soon have dinner here on the boat. 





THE RETURN LINLITHGOW TO REDDING

 LINLITHGOW TO REDDING

At this mooring we were able to start the engine at 0700 and we did to get the heat on. I went to put the kettle on and no gas. Thought we were on a empty cylinder I went to change it over. Still no joy or gas. 

We dropped our lines and were on the canal at 0800 headed to Redding where we will spend the night. 

Again a most enjoyable leisurely cruise and it seems the colors have gotten better during our absence from this area. 

 

                                  REDDING MOORING 

 

 



We arrived at Redding at about 1000 and moored up. I again played with the gas and still no joy. A quick call to Black Prince and we tried to troubleshoot over the phone. I had been doing all the suggested remedies. A mechanic will be out in about an hour to give it a look. No worries we have all day. 

 



While here I placed a call to the Falkirk Wheel Basin Master to book our transit of the wheel tomorrow. You need to book this 24 hours in advance. We have a booking for 1300 to 1400 tomorrow. Tomorrow after we leave the Falkirk Tunnel we are requested to confirm this booking. 



 

Evan the Mechanic from Black Prince came out and was as stumped as I was on the gas situation. We finally figured out is was a reset button  that needed brute force to reset, even though it looked reset. It may also be the tank diverter valve, so we swapped the tanks. 

 

He was the only one on duty and is swamped. After us he was headed to a crash near the Prince Charlie Aqueduct where there were broken windows and who knows what else. I did offer to go with him.  He also mentioned something about the engine hatch being flooded. 

 



Off to TESCO we went where we picked up some supplies for the next few days. I did find another jumper to match my brown one. We did pick up a couple premade sandwiches for our lunch as I was kinda wanting tuna fish and sweet corn. Jelly doughnuts were only £1.20 for 5,  who can resist. Lynn also stocked up on her favorite coffee as it is cheaper than Amazon. 

After lunch we found our bread to be a bit moldy so back to TESCO we went. 

Beef Stew is on the menu this evening and we will be seated at the Captains Table. 

Thus far today no rain, yet the sky is dark to the West. 

 

 

 

   

SQUALLS IN LINLIHGOW!

 SQUALLS IN LINLITHGOW!

0400 and there be squalls. The wind has really picked up and a very steady heavy rain is falling. We  are tied fast to the dock but there is an occasional bump. I got up and checked our lines and all is well. 

With this heavy wind and rain I think we will stay put today. We can do some house keeping here. Maybe some fancy cooking tonight by the executive chef. 



 

Breakfast was granola and milk and yogurt and tea. 



 

This morning several boats came up the canal towards Edinburgh. A couple stopped here to fix their breakfast or go into Linlithgow. We had fun chatting with the other boaters. One lady from Canada had worked at the Cheyenne VA. 

 



As one might expect, the morning weather looked great with clear skies. The forecast is for rain and wind this afternoon. 



I made a Mac and Cheese for our lunch with pork, bacon and veggies. Not to bad at all. 

We did some tidying up of Lyra and took our rubbish to the bins.

 

 

It is now 1230 and the skies are starting to cloud over and the temperature has dropped. 

Our plan is to get out early tomorrow and make it to Redding. We will want to top up our water tonight in preparation. Maintenance has been done so Lyra is ready. 



Tomorrow we will need to call Marine Movement and arrange for the return passage on the Falkirk Wheel. 

The water fill post became vacant and we repositioned to start our fill. This is the slowest running water ever. As expected, the rains of near biblical proportion started as we were filling. I did put the kettle on for some cocoa as our reward for battling the elements. 

The bands of heavy rain come and go with smatterings of blue skies and gusty winds. 



While the day has been quiet, we did get some cleaning done and a load of laundry. 



Tomorrows plan is to moor at Redding for a one last time TESCO stop. Lynn needs more chocolate :) 



PORT BUCHAN TO LINLITHGOW

 Port Buchan to Linlithgow




 

Up early and readied the Lyra for the days sailing. We topped up the water and shoved off. 

 

 



This is probably one of my favorite stretched of the Union Canal. You pass through farm land with cows, sheep and horses. Then there are the sections of dark forest. One might expect Robin of Lockslay or maybe Winnie the Pooh and others in the 100 Acre Wood, or maybe the Knights that say Ni. 



 

 

We did see a couple Blue Tits and a hen pheasant today. The Blue Tit flits about so very hard to capture as they flit about so much. 

 

We passed just a couple boats and a kayaker. 

 



After cruising for about 3 hours we reached the Linlithgow moorings where we found them occupied. We tried to moor on the bank but found it less than suitable. It was suggested we travel further on past the next bridge where there were some nice moorings. Well it was two bridges and yes nice moorings. This mooring is a longer walk but easy walk into Linlithgow.  9187 steps and 15 flights of stairs. 

Before walking into Linlithgow I did our daily maintenance. The tiller and throttle felt a little off to me before we moored. Sure enough we had debris in the weed hatch and wrapped around the prop shaft. I found a pair of black tights/stockings around the prop shaft. Luckily the came out fairly easy. This is why one should be up to date on their tetanus.   

 

 

                          The quaint streets of Linlithgow.  

 

Walking into Linlithgow we had lunch at the 4 Marys. Fish and chips was the meal of the day. The fish was great and the chips were the best we have had on this trip. 

The 4 Marys is a warm and inviting pub where it is easy to strike up a conversation. The pub was really busy and we  learned there had been a bunch of tour busses in town today. I will say their fish and chips are excellent. The fish batter was nice and crisp, not to thick. The chips were crispy on the outside and creamy in the middle. Yummy. 

 

               We were hungry so forgot a before picture

      I thought this. was a pretty darn KEWL childs barber chair
 




After our lunch we went to Tesco and bought more than enough food to last the duration. 

 

                  A favorite biscuit/cookie from TESCO 



Back on the Lyra we decided it was a good day to shower. Good because we have a water source handy here at this mooring. The engine was fired up to get hot water. 



 

I think our dinner tonight will be snacks and such, as we are very full from lunch.  Things like veggies, cheese, fruit and crackers. All washed down with an IRN-BRU.