Moorings on the Union Canal

The Union Canal runs 80 kilometres almost entirely on a single contour from the heart of Edinburgh westward through Linlithgow and Broxburn to meet the Forth & Clyde Canal at Falkirk via the spectacular Falkirk Wheel — the world's only rotating boat lift, opened in 2002 to reconnect the two canals after decades of severance. Managed by Scottish Canals, the Union is one of the most engineered waterways in Britain: virtually lock-free across its main length thanks to its hilltop contour line, but with major aqueducts at Slateford, Almond and the magnificent Avon Aqueduct (the second-longest in the UK after Pontcysyllte). For boat owners, the canal offers exceptional cruising with minimal lock-work, rural Lothian and West Lothian scenery and city-centre Edinburgh access at the eastern terminus at Lochrin Basin in Fountainbridge. Long-stay moorings are available at Edinburgh Quay, Ratho (a popular cruising base with the Bridge Inn), Linlithgow Canal Centre and at the Falkirk Wheel basin. The Falkirk Wheel passage is itself an extraordinary boating experience, lifting boats 24 metres in minutes. Liveaboards based on the Union enjoy Edinburgh's full city amenity (Festival, Old Town, rail to London via the East Coast Main Line), Falkirk's central location and onward access via the Forth & Clyde to Glasgow and the West Coast.