BLUEMOMENT

The Welcome Anchorage Guide is a good start. Available, free, from many boaty places -marinas etc and online.
Have fun

There are a few on here that have used the F&C to transit who will be able to offer up-to-date info. Not heard of any holidaymakers though.

I did both canals in about 2002. I know that's a while back and it will have improved since then, but I found it possible to stop almost anywhere. Amenities along the way have opened since then including restaurants etc.

A group of us spent a week on the Lowland canals last year. For the F&C the deal is to phone Scottish Canals the day before to arrange lock and bridge openings: they do all the work, you just motor through. (Quite different from the English canals or, for that matter, the Crinan.) After going up the Falkirk Wheel and the new staircase lock the Union Canal is lock free into Edinburgh. We only got as far as Broxburn because we also spent time looking at interesting things en route, but with a bit of effort most of the system can be done in a week. Few people other than sea-sea transiters seem to do the section through Falkirk below Lock 16, but with The Kelpies that might change.

Our overnight stops on the Union were just SE of Bridge 51, Vellore Road (a quiet, secluded spot), at Philipston (water point, pub a mile up hill), NOT Broxburn (the hire company were quite firm about that), and at the original western end, SW of the new aquaduct (water point, 2 pubs at Lock 16 on the F&C a mile down the hill). Linlithgow was a lunch stop (water point and lots of pubs). On the F&C we stopped at Craigmarloch, Cadder, Glasgow Bridge (Kirkintilloch) and Falkirk (above Lock 16). We also had a lunch stop at Kirkintilloch Marina (water point) and above the Maryhill Locks. Most of the overnight stops had water, but I can't remember exactly which.

Mibosa wrote:Thank for you responses. With regards to the last Contributor I will send you a PM.

I've just remembered that another lunch stop (with tap) was at the Applecross Basin on the Glasgow Branch. Accessing the tap involved mooring to another boat that looked like it had occupied the spot for some time.

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