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Welcome to the "Scottish Waterways for All" web site.

Scottish Waterways for all is an organisation for all volunteering groups, boating groups, charitable societies and others with an interest in the heritage and on-going sustainability of our canal network in Scotland.

A directory of current members can be found here. If you or your organisation are interested in becoming a member & joining the SWfA, participating in the activities on the canal, or assisting with the important work we carry out, please do get in touch ~ your contribution will be most welcome.

Within this web site, members can submit topics or concerns for consideration and discussion by the SWfA management committee, as well as being kept up to date with future and current projects & events on the canal network.

Minutes of management meetings, together with notification of future Agenda are located in the members area of the web site.

Keep up to date with all the latest news from the SWfA by subscribing to our newsletter here.

Who are the SWfA image
Scottish Canals Launch Anniversary Plans

Scottish Canals Launch Anniversary Plans

Scottish Canals is gearing up for a big year of celebrations as 2022 marks the 200th anniversaries of the Union and Caledonian canals opening.

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Register Your Boat Here

Register Your Boat Here

You are required to register your craft in order to participate in the Union 200 anniversary flotilla. The flotilla is running from 20th May - 22nd May, but you do not need to participate in the whole event. You may wish to join only on certain sections of the flotilla. To register your boat or craft, please use the following link https://forms.gle/spSRhmW4atpBUqcA9

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Bridge 19 - 40 Canal Society

Community Moorings Scotland

Scottish Canals

Scottish Canals have 3 members on the management committee of SWfA

Forth & Clyde Canal Society

Inland Waterways Association

Linlithgow Union Canal Society

Based in Linlithgow, LUCS is one of the longest established charitable societies operating on the Lowland Canals

Lowland Canals Association

Re-Union Canal Boats

The Royal Yachting Association

Seagull Trust Cruises

The Sorted Project

Forth Yacht Club Association

Bridge 19 - 40 Canal Society

Forth & Clyde Canal Society

Linlithgow Union Canal Society

Based in Linlithgow, LUCS is one of the longest established charitable societies operating on the Lowland Canals

Re-Union Canal Boats

Seagull Trust Cruises

Community Moorings Scotland

The Sorted Project

Lowland Canals Association

The Royal Yachting Association

Inland Waterways Association

Forth Yacht Club Association

Please use this form to submit your application to join Scottish Waterways for All
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Pat Bowie

Chair

Neil Kitchener

Vice Chair

Sue Bedford Visser

Secretary

Karen Bradford

Treasurer

Stuart Rennie

Marketing

Richard Millar

Scottish Canals

Josie Saunders

Scottish Canals

Richard Davies

Jonathan Mosse

Don Williams

Gordon Daly

The Agenda for future SWfA meetings will be published here as soon as it is available.

If you would like any items to be considered for a forthcoming Agenda, please use the Submit Info Form


The Next Management Committee Meeting will be held on 27th January at 10:00am


Agenda - SWfA AGM 26th Aug 2020.pdf

Agenda - SWfA Committee 26th Aug 2020.pdf

Agenda SWfA Management Committee 28th Oct 2020.pdf

AGENDA SWfA Management Committee 2nd Dec 2020.pdf

Agenda SWfA Management Committee 27th Jan 2021.pdf

Presentations from Previous Meetings will be listed here


2020-21 Works Programme 01-09-20.pdf


Available Downloads ....


Muiravonside Breach Update

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WFqG_HDttkg6OG03jAuSqXOlonBIjw21/view?usp=sharing


Invasive Species Presentation

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1O0Diynl6E3WGLMLIBOIH6N99xH9j3-17/view?usp=sharing

Inland Waterway Publications

This page is used for listing the features offered by your company/service.

 

Reports

You can add any feature you want or edit the ones that are already listed.

 

Media

Edit your Features from the Pages tab by clicking the edit button.

Use this form to submit items to the Committee for consideration and discussion at the next Committee Meeting.  

Please give as much information as possible.

There is scope to attach images or additional documents to explain your subject matter.

All submissions will be considered and responded to or added to a meeting Agenda as soon as is practicable to do so.

Please give us your contact details so that we can get back to you.

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Please give details of the subject you would like the Committee to action ...

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You can also add up to three images or supporting documentation to help explain or describe your subject matter

Replacing Fenders at Manse Road Basin

A joint initiative between Scottish Canals & LUCS volunteers to replace the damaged and missing timber fenders at Manse Road Basin, Linlithgow

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Current Projects will be listed here

This is a generic article you can use for adding article content / subjects on your website. You can edit all of this text and replace it with anything you have to say in your news/topic article.

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 Electric Charging Points gain support ... 

Inland Waterways Association

 Union Canal Unlocked web site 

Union Canal Unlocked

 Scottish Canals Volunteer Awards web site 

Scottish Canal Volunteer Awards

 Scottish Canals web site 

Scottish Canals
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The annual Scottish Canal Volunteer Awards is relaunching on 1st April 2021, culminating in the award presentations to be held at the stunning Falkirk Wheel Visitor Centre on the evening of 1st October 2021Read More


  • Date: 01/10/2021 07:00 PM
  • Location: The Falkirk Wheel, Falkirk, UK (Map)

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November and the boats were getting their makeovers. Flowers, lights, musical instruments and coloured items were becoming a reality. The plan for Saturday evening was for the boaters to assemble at Slateford Aqueduct, about 2½ miles from the end of the canal, have a safety talk and then proceed slowly with all their decorations lit up and music playing from Harrison Park to Lochrin Basin at the end of the Union Canal near Edinburgh city centre. The plan was to arrive there at approximately 7 pm.

During the last expedition, the elements were not kind, with wind and rain dampening the fun. This year there was almost a full moon, the skies were clear, visibility was perfect and the weather was dry.

Individual boaters had made their way along the canal from their home moorings as far afield as Falkirk. Ascending the Falkirk Wheel, which is the connecting link between the Forth and Clyde Canal and the Union Canal is an amazing experience.

Once through the locks at the top of the Wheel the canal meanders at the same level all the way to Edinburgh through two tunnels, under many bridges and over aqueducts above deep valleys. The bridges and aqueducts range from 200year old stone arched structures to modern concrete or steel bridges which were built when the canal was reopened twenty years ago as part of the Millennium Link project.

The banks of the canal were decorated with the dying colours of autumn, past sleepy villages, waterside pubs, wide open fields and ancient beech groves. The boats glided gracefully through the water leaving gentle waves skirting behind them. On the banks were ivy entwined trees, large ferns, white willow herb seeds and a watery winter sun. In the fields was straw stubble, one field was being ploughed and beside the rich, deep, brown soil flocks of seagulls were looking for food. The tractor slides its blades into the soil as the boats cut their way through the water. The only bright colours were the splashes of yellow gorse and the red berries of the hawthorn and the holly. There were splashes as ducks, moorhens, swans, herons and even the occasional hawk was disturbed by the passing boats. Fallen leaves floating on the surface water were like old copper pennies, many birds scurried to the sides to take refuge in the reed beds as boats passed by. The weeds in the canal had been cleared recently by the bank staff of Scottish Canals and volunteers which made the journey easier. However, it was noted by several boaters that dredging was still needed as some boats were scraping along the bottom.

The main event had been preceded by a gathering on the Friday night at the Almond Aqueduct for a BBQ, bonfire and fireworks. The sky darkened as the stars and night sky glowed with the flames of the fire. Music, singing and the joy of community added to the warmth of the evening.

The Flotilla of Light has been an event organised by the Lowland Canal Association for the past 4 years and this year it was renamed to commemorate the work undertaken by Ronnie Rusack in maintaining a living and working canal system for all to enjoy.

This year 12 boats participated. All the lowland canal marinas had been leafleted and copies were also distributed to the Schools around the canal. On the back of the leaflet were instructions on how to make a lantern. The children were asked to participate in the event by making lanterns to hold along the last stretch of the canal to welcome the boaters. The boaters in return would throw wrapped sweets to the children on the bank. It was interesting to note that when the boats arrived, children were able to shout that this boat has Quality Street sweets and the next one has Celebrations.

The boats were all lit up with the sparkling lights reflected in the water. This was mirrored by the twinkling stars in the sky as the evening darkened and more stars appeared. The gentle silver of moonlight contrasted with the bright lights of the city buildings as the boats approached Leamington Bridge. The myriad of lights on the water gave it an almost magical appearance. One pirate boat gave the illusion of smoke, one was dressed like a dragonfly and others had families aboard enjoying the event. The sounds of music drifted across the water and the voices of children on the bank led to a warm atmosphere of celebration.

The main person organising the event was Pierre Potel, known in the past for his fetching outfit as a mermaid. Pierre is a jack of all trades with a wealth of understanding about boat maintenance and the canals. He is also the bonfire and firework expert having done that task for the last 4 years.

In addition, this year the Lowland Canal Association introduced a photographic competition which has still to be judged. So far, the photos received have reflected the beauty and magic of the night. It was a wonderful event and our thanks and gratitude go to everyone who not only participated but also helped to make it the successful event it was. The memories will last a lifetime.
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To keep up to date with everything that's happening in the SWfA, you can subscribe to our free email news letter.

Issued on a regular basis, the newsletter covers many subjects of interest to those with our canal network at heart, including details of future events, volunteering opportunities, matters being discussed by the SWfA management committee, and much much more.

It's easy to subscribe here, and you can unsubscribe from the list at any time.
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