June 27, 2025
Glasgow to Bo’ness
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We ate leftover scones and clotted cream from our takeaway box from our Willows tea and got an early start at 9:15 am, rendered more efficient by the lack of a formal breakfast.
We had a mildly rough start because 100 meters down the rode we came to a full set of steps that Komoot thought we should take. No way. We peeled away and rode around the West End until we could find a way to join the route. We eventually hopped on the towpath along the Forth and Clyde Canal which we followed for the first 42 km all the way to Falkirk. The Canal was opened in 1790 to allow seagoing ships to cross central Scotland between the east coast (Edinburgh) and west coast (Glasgow). It connected the “Firth” (Scottish for fjord or estuary) of Forth and Firth of Clyde. The Canal construction was funded in part by proceeds from Scottish estates forfeited to the Crown after English forces defeated the Jacobite cause at Culloden in 1745. (We have not visited any places where this history has been in our face but I am sure we will in the next month; more then). The Canal was very successful but fell into disuse after larger ships were built that could not be accommodated, and with the rise of railroads. It was eventually renovated and the towpath is now wonderful cycling and dog walking infrastructure. The Canal itself is now used for recreational barge activity. If you are inclined to spend a week in cold, rainy Scottish weather on the water you can rent a barge outside of Falkirk- have at it and be sure to let us know how it went!
It started to rain around 10:30 but it was easy to tolerate because the rain was light, the tailwind heavy, and we were on a great cycling route. The earliest place for a break was Falkirk so we rode for almost 3 hours. Before that we had to stop and gawk at the Falkirk Wheel, the only rotating boat lift in the world, opened in 2002 to connect the Forth and Clyde canal with the Union Canal, 35 m above it. There had been a previous connection, using 11 locks that took a day to go through; these locks fell into disuse in the 1930s and in 1967 the British government formed a commission to evaluate and determine a use for all the disused canals and waterways. Eventually this led to the Falkirk Wheel which is now a tourist attraction and engineering marvel.
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After making such good time the last 4 km to Falkirk took forever; the canal was being dredged so there were a few deviations, and it was messy. We finally arrived at our break location, the Falkirk Kelpies Cafe.
The Kelpies were designed by Glasgow artist Andy Scott. They are meant to represent the heavy horses of Scotland and celebrate their contribution to the industry and geography of the local area and form the eastern gateway to the Forth and Clyde Canal.
Because of the rain and the fact we needed a long break after three hours of riding, we stayed and ate and warmed up in the Kelpies cafe for over an hour, able to enjoy the view of the Kelpies from our seat.
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After lunch we were no longer on the towpath but had a charming ride through various forest lands, parks and little villages on the very well-marked National cycle Route 76.
We pulled into Bo’ness around 3 pm. We thought it would be a quiet little town, as it is after all in the middle of nowhere, and there was no other reasonable place to stay but the Richmond Park Hotel. Our first clue that we might not be experiencing a peaceful visit was coming across this fair going on down by the waterfront.
Our second clue was when we stopped to make a dinner booking at the Wee Wine Bar. It was fully booked that evening but they could squeeze us in at the bar by the front window. We said fine and on the way out had a fun conversation with Lorna and Stuart. Lorna and her son were going to New York soon and were super excited about it and she herself was planning a trip to Japan, so of course that inspired a whole other travel conversation!
(Dave: The conversation began when Stuart confronted me and asked about the rear view mirror perched on my glasses. He said it reminded him of Star Trek, Deep Space Nine. In the battles with the Dominion, the antagonists used a device that projected a virtual screen in front of their face. And apparently my mirror reminded him of that. Ooookay.
As an additional aside, as we were traveling along the canal, I noticed several people staring at me and in retrospect I think they were trying to suss out the purpose of that weird appendage to my glasses. As I approached one woman, she peered at me, wrinkled her brow in annoyance and proceeded to put a hand over her eyes as I passed. Odd, I thought. Later I wondered if she thought my mirror was a camera and she didn't want anyone to be able to recognize her.)
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After we left them we had what was supposed to be a 1/2 mi ride but turned into a 1 mile ride to our hotel, up a 15 percent gravel trail and through the local cemetery because Google maps, or Dave, I’m not sure which, couldn’t make up their mind on the route! You can imagine our surprise when we pulled up to the parking lot of our quiet country hotel to see this:
So, apparently it was the weekend of the euphemistically misnamed “Children’s Fair”, and the Richmond Park Hotel, our inn for the night, had given over their parking lot, lobby and interior ballroom to the cause of extensive teenage inebriation. It was a madhouse of teenage drunkenness. We had to clear two security checks to make it into the parking lot and then the hotel lobby and as we pushed our bikes through partying teenagers, we were both amused and aghast that we were supposed to be sleeping here. At the second security check it took awhile for us to get into the lobby. The security guards were dealing with an inebriated party-goer. At last we arrived and the young woman at the front desk, after giving us our keycard, advised that there would be loud music until 11 or maybe midnight. Somehow we weren’t shocked or pleased. We made our way to our room. There was no lift and of course our room was at the end of the hall. The good news: It was far away from the festivities and so was relatively quiet. Bad news: It was at the far end of the hall so the internet didn’t work. I went down and asked if there were any alternatives and there was. Room 4 right above the party was available so we passed, and just accepted the crappy internet- we have been there before.
After cleaning up we rode our bikes back into town for dinner - with Jill picking the route - so it was only a .4 mile ride. (Dave: This characterization of my path finding skills is so unfair 🙄). At the Wee Wine Bar we ordered tapas and wine and there met Amanda and Lyn, two local women who came into share a bottle of rosé and catch up with each other. They sat down next to us at the bar, heard our accent, and we wound up having an hour long delightful conversation. They both grew up in the area and Amanda worked for the Police in a civilian role. She will have put in her time in a year and nine months (but who’s counting) and can retire then. Her husband is an engineer for the petrochemical plant we saw on our ride in, and we learned it is run by BP. Lyn works in financial services. Both women have young adult children (who still live at home) and we had a wide-ranging conversation about universities, medical care, wages, and the gamut of things to compare between Scotland and the US. Both women also really like America and Lyn and her husband make a trip to Floria every year. We compared pictures of kids and dogs. We saw a picture of Amanda’s very sweet cockapoo, whose name I have now forgotten. (We have noticed there is a very high quotient of attractive small to medium dogs in Scotland, all of whom walk extensively on the cycling trails!) Our observation from this conversation and many other conversations we have now had with Scots is that they seem to like America and like to visit, which is a relief.
For us, it was a wonderful evening. Why we tour.
Today's ride: 57 km (35 miles)
Total: 2,000 km (1,242 miles)
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| Comment on this entry | Comment | 2 |
I just want to say thank you from Lyn and myself for the bottle of fizz which you paid for at The Wee Wine Bar on Friday. We enjoyed your company immensely and had such a lovely time hearing your stories and hearing all about your travels and family. Safe journeys and hope to meet you both again soon
Love
Lyn and Amanda
5 days ago
4 days ago