A canal frae ra Clyde tae loch Lomond

[moresteamcphail]

There is a bit in the Herald (posh paper) aboot this.We will be able tae gang frae Bowling tae Balloch withoot gettin oor feet dry. Whit aboot the bit through ra Vale o'Leven but? We wull need an armed posse or twa. tae keep the natives awa.Mabbe a wee gunboat wid be handy fur the polis tae chase them awa.

[sahona]

Did it the other way round in the 60's in my (then) 57 year old clinker "thing" . Only prob was the weir which I stood on top of, and heaved the boat over ( I didn't know it was there until I saw it) Balmaha to Brodick - the ignorant way.
I assume the proposal is to spur from the Forth and Clyde canal to somewhere upriver from the weir. Can't see the traffic justifying the cost though.

[ash]

Will it be ready in time for the Scuttlebutt Cruise?

There was talk of this before. I believe that the fishermen were unhappy about possible contamination of the loch. I don't see why it would be a problem. Maybe they could have a quarantine basin.

It would be an ideal situation for me, mainly on the loch, but with the possibility of a longer cruise during the holidays.

Had a quick search of the Herald on line, but haven't found the story yet.

Edit : Found this Evening Tmes

Edit 2 : Better Link : Evening Times

Ash

[Telo]

Link from yesterday's "Herald" - http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/news/display.var.2054132.0.80m_plan_links_loch_and_rivers_by_boat.php

[sahona]

Reading the Herald forum, the Leven was once navigable (although it doesn't mention draught), so why was the weir added?. I remember in 1966 or so, I went up to Loch Lomond to play with my boat, and Balmaha (McFarlanes yard) was dry, so it doesn't protect the loch. We had American tourists talking about waiting around until the tide came in again..Also, the Bowling/Dumbarton bit of the Clyde is not brilliant leisure material, and, I suspect, Clyde Port Authority will need to be consulted before you go there. I think there's a lot of changes needed in the ten years before it opens. (if it does)

[Bejasus]

Reading the Herald forum, the Leven was once navigable (although it doesn't mention draught), so why was the weir added?.

Jings, have you seen the speed of the Leven in spate. One of the fastest rivers in Scotland I believe. Try making headway against that or steerage way when travelling downstream.

[Arghiro]

I used to be on a Trot under the famous distillery (when it was still producing Blue Label). The river only ever flowed one way, the tide simply changed the depth & slightly reduced the flow from time to time.

[moresteamcphail]

The weir was added in the early 1970's when the loch became a fresh water supply for central Scotland.
I Passed Mcfarlanes boatyard on Friday,the water was up over the main road!

[sahona]

it was '67 when I humped Redwing over a weir in Dumbarton, maybe another was added later. If McFarlanes has sunk, it seems to be working...

[ash]

Extract from Balloch

The River Leven


The River Leven, which is policed by the Loch Lomond Angling Improvement Association, is tidal in its lower reaches and is the main environmental asset for migratory fish. It flows from Loch Lomond at Balloch and down through Alexandria, Bonhill, Renton, to the River Clyde. It is said to be the second fastest flowing river in Scotland. The level of the river is controlled by the barrage at Balloch. If level reaches 27ft. at various points the gates are then opened by the East of Scotland Water Board to release the water from Loch Lomond thus stopping farmland floodage.


On spring or high tides the river can back up to the Renton. The river Leven carries salmon and sea trout, which are migratory fish. It also carries a large amount of eels, which are migratory. Large shoals of flounders and Rough fish swim as far as the barrage. These have come down from Loch Lomond which are quite a concern to the local anglers and from April onwards lamprey tend to make up into fresh water – the River Endrick.


There exists a problem of litter i.e. shopping trolleys, mattresses and various waste being deposited in the River Leven.


I'm not sure that the above explains the control system too well. My understanding is that they control the water flow to protect the land either side of the river from flooding, so in winter the level of the loch rises but this causes flooding of the banks of the loch.

This photo was taken last winter at Ardlui, the level rose a lot higher than this and a lot of caravans were damaged. I recently read a statement quoting the maximum/minimum surface heights of the loch over a number of years, but at the moment, I can't remember where.

I've made it a clickable thunbnail because it already was in photobucket as a big file, and I can't find the original on my hard drive ( I now limit my uploads to PB at 800 pix wide)




Ash

[Bejasus]

my old man used to take me to the Leven whilst he went fishing for sea trout. All I remember him catching was bloody eels.

[ash]

my old man used to take me to the Leven whilst he went fishing for sea trout. All I remember him catching was bloody eels.

Eel are all I seem to catch on the loch. I once made the mistake of bringing a fairly big one into the cockpit, and then worried in case it tried to escape down the drain, and jammed.

I once watched a pretty hefty one try to catch the smaller one on my line.

I now cut the line and let them away with the cheap hook, which I believe rusts away quickly.

I now try fly fishing, using a spey cast from the bow.


This is the only other fush I've caught on the loch:



Ash